


Tales of a sly fox and a dumb bunny

by aoimotion



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Occasional Flirting, One Shot Collection, POV Alternating, Slice of Life, Translation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-05-27 18:56:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 19,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6295897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aoimotion/pseuds/aoimotion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a collection of one-shot about a certain (not so)sly fox and a certain (not so)dumb bunny.<br/>Post-film.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fox ~ Small

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Racconti di una volpe acuta e di una coniglietta ottusa](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/209164) by aoimotion. 



> I'm italian. I speak (maybe 'write' is more appropriate) English quite well, so I tried to translate this collection (again, maybe 'adapt' is the right word here) because I want to spread my love for Nick and Judy. This is _absolutely_ the first time I try to do such a thing, so I don't know what the result is going to be.  
>  What does it mean? Simply put, I don't know when I'll post the next chapter because I need time, **a lot of time** in order to translate - to adapt - it in english. I already wrote 13 chapters, so the lack of material is not my problem (the fact I'm italian, yes, _this_ is the real problem). I don't even know if you will like this collection, so maybe I'll never translate the other 12 chapter because, well, nobody cared in the first place.  
>  That said, here comes the first chapter: just 154 words of... something decent, I guess. I hope. Opinions are always appreciated, but in this case they are even more appreciated because, I told you, English is not my native language. So... okay, I'm talking too much. Enjoy the read!  
> 

The more he looked at her, the less Nick could restrain himself from thinking about how small Judy Hopps was. It was a mystery, to him, how their coworkers didn’t already step on a cute, little bunny like her.

“Well, it’s not like you’re _so much_ taller than me” Judy  replied to him, the day he openly expressed his concern.

“Exactly! They barely notice _me_ , I can’t figure out how they are able to see _you_.”

“So…?” The little bunny gave him a perplexed look. “What’s the point?”

“Nothing” he replied, giving her a sly smile. Judy rolled her eyes with a sigh and turned to the pile of dossiers which was idling on her desk since an unclear number of days.

Even though she wasn’t looking at him anymore, Nick was still smiling.

 _‘You really are just a carrot’,_ he thought. _‘So tempting that sooner or later someone will eat you.’_

_________________________________________________

(Click [here](http://i.imgur.com/Yrq4a5i.jpg) for a special illustration by [Rem289](http://rem289.Tumblr.com) ❤)

_________________________________________________


	2. Fox ~ 60 watt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _If Nicholas Wilde had been in love with Judy Hopps, he’d probably have defined her smile as “the brightest light in all Zootopia”. But, since Nicholas Wilde was not in love with Judy Hopps, her smile was just… a cute smile. If he had had to compare it with the voltage of a light bulb, he would probably have gone with a 60 watt one – or 70, if he was in good mood._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never thought my story could have such a success (the first chapter is only 154 words, no less...), so I never thought I'd have actually translated another chapter besides the first one. I'm happy! Thank you very much to all the people who left a comment, a kudos or simply read my story :) (special thanks to Adurnah who helped me with the corrections). Hope you'll like this chapter too!

If Nicholas Wilde had been in love with Judy Hopps, he’d probably have defined her smile as “the brightest light in all Zootopia”. But, since Nicholas Wilde was  _not_ in love with Judy Hopps, her smile was just… a nice smile. If he had had to compare it with the voltage of a light bulb, he would probably have chosen a 60 watt one – or 70, if he was in a good mood.

So, Nick thought, there was no reason for him to be  _jealous_ of that smile. Have you ever seen an animal jealous of a lamp? Of course not. Or maybe, if he really  _had to_  be jealous of some source of illumination… in that case, well, better for him to pick a great one. The one radiated by a lighthouse, for example,  _that_ was something worth struggling for.

“She’s a lamp” the fox kept saying to himself. “Just a typical indoor lamp, bought at Furronics with a 50% off sale. Sometimes she even fails to light up.”

Meanwhile, the lamp called Judy Hopps was irradiating her shining smile all around the world. A ray of that light hit Nick, who felt a strange pain in his chest.

Maybe, it would have been better for him to go back to the police department. If Judy had found out he had followed her… the thought made Nick shiver for a lot of reasons.

Unfortunately, the fox chose to ignore that bit of common sense which was miserably trying to arise from the darkness of his mind. If that day Nicholas Wilde had decided to act like a moron, then  _nothing_  would have made him stop chasing his goal.

He shook his head and proceeded to move closer to Judy and her interlocutor, in order to eavesdrop their conversation.

“I’m truly glad to meet you again, Judy. You grew up beautifully since the last time I saw you at Bunnyburrow.”

“Oh, stop it, Steve” she replied, embarrassed. “ _You_ became a handsome rabbit!”

_‘Steve. Such an appropriate name for the bad guy of a third category movie.’_

Nick rolled back his eyes, disgusted. “‘Oh, Judy, you’re  _so_  beautiful!’, ‘No,  _you_  are beautiful!’, ‘No,  _you_!’, ‘No,  _you_!’”

The Steve rabbit grinned naughtily. “What can I say… you aren’t the first girl who tells me this, but I usually just shrug and say ‘thank you’. However, if a cute bunny like you calls me  _handsome_ , well… could someone please remind me how to breath?”

 _‘He didn’t_ really  _say that, did he?’_

“Oh, Steve” Judy started to shift her weight from one paw to another. “You’re still a ladies man, aren’t you?”

“Hey” the rabbit replied, exhibiting a ridiculous peevish look, “I hope you don’t think I’m such a flatterer with every bunny, Judy!”

Sure enough, he was absolutely  _disgusting_.

Judy became silent; her shining smile was nowhere to be seen.

“Come on, Carrots” Nick said, shaking his fist in the air. “See through his lies, arrest that rabbit for insulting a public official!”

But things didn't go as he would have expected; Judy covered her face with both paws and mumbled something he wasn’t able to grasp. “Steve, _please_! You make me…”

 _‘Vomit?’_ Nick was too shocked even to say it, but he quickly regained his cool when he saw that rabbit stretching his arms toward his partner with a hideous smirk on his muzzle.

‘ _Oh, no, Steve boy. Don’t you even dare.’_

“Hey, Hopps” Nick began, as he came out from his ‘hiding-place’ – just an alley between two buildings.

Judy turned her head and stared at him like he was some dead relative coming back from hell to visit her. “Nick? What are you doing  _here_?”

The fox shrugged his shoulders. “Chief Bogo is quite upset, you know. He wants you to go back behind your desk, officer Hopps.  _Right now_.”

“What?” Judy widened her eyes in astonishment. “I left the department just ten minutes ago!”

“He said you have to handle a very important case… what was that? Missing dromedaries? Or maybe…  _oh_.” Nick smiled politely to Steve, as if he just noticed him. “I see, so you were talking to a civilian! My apologies, I  _really_  didn’t see you, mister…”

“Marrots” he said with a sharp smile. “Steve Marrots, nice to meet you. I didn’t intend to steal ZPD’s precious bunny, officer…”

“Wilde. Nicholas Wilde.” A nipping smile grew on his face. “And, please, rest assured: you didn't steal  _anything_ , Mr Marrots.”

“Hum…  _Nick_?”

“Yes, Hopps?”

Judy was about to punch him somewhere, and the fact that she couldn’t do it in front of other people clearly irritated her.

“We should come back to work” she eventually sighed; a parade of feelings was passing through her face and Nick barely prevented a laughter from coming out of his mouth. “I’m sorry Steve, see you next time!” Judy grabbed Nick’s tie and pulled him away, while waving at the bluffed rabbit with the other paw.

  


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(Click [here](http://i.imgur.com/eYx6fSq.jpg) for a special illustration by [Rem289](http://rem289.Tumblr.com) ❤)  


_________________________________________________

  


When they had turned the corner of the same building Nick was hiding behind just five minutes before, Judy slackened off his tie and faced him with a huffy expression. “Nick, tell me the truth: did chief Bogo  _really_ ask you to call me back?”

The fox diverted his eyes and focused on the bunny’s cute, pink nose. “Actually… I’m not  _so_  sure about this, Carrots.”

“I knew it.” She hit her forehead with a paw. “What’s the problem? Can’t you live without me for, like, five minutes?”

The question punched him right in the stomach. “Of course I can”  _‘Maybe.’_ “Don’t be so full of yourself, Carrots. It’s just… that rabbit, he had some mischievous attitudes toward you, so I felt the urge to take action.”

“It’s  _Steve_ , not 'that rabbit'. And second… what do you mean with  _mischievous attitudes_? Are you insane?”

Why was she trying to depict him as an idiot? Okay, maybe he  _was_ an idiot, but that was a confidential information. Especially for a certain bunny called Judy Hopps.

“Don’t forget I am a fox; a  _predator_ , Carrots. I can recognize my counterparts, when I meet them.”

“Counterpart? But Steve is a  _rabbit_!” 

Nick shook his head. “It’s not about DNA, naïve bunny; it’s about  _attitude_ , indeed. You can be a predator even though you’re just a rabbit, what changes is the prey you hunt for.”

Judy wrinkled her eyebrows. “Are you okay, Nick?”

“I don’t know” he admitted, “so, why don’t we just end this discussion and return behind our desks before some  _funny_  coworker starts spreading fishy rumors about us?”

He imagined Clawhauser rolling through the police department, laughing and chewing donuts, and the thought infected his mind like a virus.

Judy tilted her head. “What rumors are you talking ab–” she started, but the fox quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Forget it. Dumb bunnies shouldn't worry about such trivial questions, after all.”

As Judy struggled, in a vain attempt to get free from his embrace, Nick couldn't help but recall what had happened just a few minutes ago and, as result of it, a question came up to his lips.

He was about to say it but, in the end, he didn't. He just laughed at the cute bunny who was still trying to push him away and thanked god for being a sly, untruthful fox.

 


	3. Bunny ~ Stain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“I do have something on my face.” Judy slowly put both paws on her muzzle. “Don’t I?”_
> 
> _“You? Oh, no, I swear you didn’t get a coffee stain on your cute, pink nose, Carrots.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes chapter 3! I'm so happy to see how many people are appreciating my work ;w; love you all!

“Officer Wilde, report.”

Nick didn’t even look at her.

“Officer Wilde” she repeated, louder. “Report. _Now_.”

“Mh” the fox mumbled, “hey, Carrots, did you know there’s a new patisserie right behind the police station?”

“I don’t care” she replied. “All I want is your report on my desk, officer Wilde.”

“What report? The one about that stupid peanuts theft?” Nick kept scrolling his cellphone. “Oh, _wait_ … they’re running a special promotion!” His eyes widened in awe. “Blueberry milkshake is 50% off! We should go and–”

“ _For cheese sake!_ “ Judy harshly slammed her paws on his desk, causing him to startle. “Stop watching that damn phone or I’ll seize it!”

Nick looked at her in silence, his expression serious, almost as if he was reflecting on something. Maybe rethinking his unprofessional behavior?

“You got something on your nose” he finally said, curling his lips.

“What? _No!_ “

“Yes” he insisted. “Go check yourself in the mirror, if you don't believe me.”

“You won’t trick me this time, Nick” she claimed, her little chest swelling with pride. “I’m no longer the dumb bunny who would have believed your blatant lies without a second of hesitation.”

The fox nodded, smiling obligingly at her. “Well done Carrots, I am so proud!” he crowed. “There's indeed nothing on your nose.”

“A-ha! I knew it!” Judy nodded, a proud smile stretching on her face.

Nick nodded too, a smile unfurling on his lips. A smug smile. A really, really suspiciously smug one. What was that crafty fox plotting now?

“I _do_ have something on my face.” Judy slowly put both paws on her muzzle. “Don’t I?”

“ _You_? Oh, no, I swear you _didn’t_ get a coffee stain on your cute, pink nose, Carrots.”

Those words smelled just like a fragrant falsehood. “ _You’re lying_ “ Judy hissed.

“Or perhaps I’m just _pretending_ to lie” he quietly replied, struggling his shoulders. “Life is harsh, officer Hopps. It’s not simple to extricate yourself from the labyrinth called “modern society”.”

The little bunny looked up and down at his partner, searching for a clue that could reveal her the truth about her nose; but, since the supposed-to-be liar was Nicholas Wilde, her investigation just led her to _absolutely nothing_.

Up to that point, only one strategy was left…

“Nick, I know how this is going to end.” Judy lowered her ears and approached him with a forlorn expression. Nick backed his in response and started to shake his head.

“Oh no Carrots, don’t you _dare_ –”

“I _do_ know you’re just waiting for me rushing over the toiler and look at my face” she continued, ignoring his protests, “in order to do something _very_ unprofessional…”

“Officer Hopps, could you please _stop_ making that face–”

“ _Oh_ , Nick” Judy sighed and grabbed his paw. “For this time only, couldn’t you just be honest, like, _really_ honest with me? We have so many things to do and so little time to actually do them… Would you be cooperative with me, with your _dear_ Judy, only for today?”

Nick gulped as his eyes widened in astonishment.

“Pretty please…?”

_________________________________________________

(Click [here](http://i.imgur.com/a1nfPsm.jpg) for a special illustration by [Rem289](http://rem289.Tumblr.com) ❤)

_________________________________________________

The fox gasped and retracted his paw like he had just been bitten by a piranha.

_‘Dumb fox.’_

“Fine, fine… it’s your win, Carrots.” Nick abruptly turned away from her and drawn near to his desk. “Come here.”

“What?”

“Just shut that cute mouth of yours and come here, Carrots.”

Reluctant, Judy did as she had been ordered. When Nick turned to her again, she noticed he was holding a handkerchief.

“I knew it!” she uttered. “You filthy liar!”

“I’m a _fox_ “ he clarified, as if that information could explain everything. “Making fun of you is my _raison d'être_. And be quiet now, I’m going to wipe away your muzzle.”

The little bunny closed her eyes and let Nick clean up her nose. “I could have done it by myself, you know” she grumbled.

“You could” he agreed, “but it wouldn’t have been amusing as much as it is now.”

When Nick finally ended the torture, Judy heaved a sigh. “How are you _so_ able to make things more complicated than they really are?”

“Because, if things were simple, I wouldn’t be so special to you.”

“Are you assuming you _are_ special?”

Nick gave her a soft smile. “Am I not?”

Judy was _dying_ to say “no” just to erase that annoying smirk out of his face, but she couldn’t do it for it would have meant to flagrantly lie to him.

“I _hate_ you” she eventually groaned. “You can’t possibly understand how much I hate you, Nick.”

The fox petted her between her ears which, in the meanwhile, had lowered in frustration. “I love you too, Carrots.”


	4. Bunny ~ Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Listen, Carrots.” He gave her a surly glance. “I don’t know what you saw this morning, but I assure you misunderstood_ everything _. Could you please drop the subject now? I’m trying to do my job, just in case you didn’t notice.”_

Judy Hopps was a dreamer, no doubt about that. She knew she aimed higher than everyone else and she was aware that, from others’ perspective, her ambitions were nothing but foolish desires. Nonetheless, she was proud of that side of her.

However, Judy would never have let _anyone_ call her delusional, because she was always well aware of what was happening before her eyes. And that day was not an exception.

“I’m _not_ seeing things” she harshly replied to Nick as she tried to keep his peace. «I know what I saw!”

“Sure thing” he said, shaking his head. “And I am a panther called Philip.”

“I’m not the only one who noticed” Judy persisted. “There were Francine and McHorn too. Or maybe we are all mad, in your opinion?”

“Yes, you are _all_ mad.” Nick turned on the light of the archive and started to look around.

The bunny rolled her eyes. “Oh _please_ , Nick.”

It was already clear as day that the fox was in a _really_ bad mood, but Judy couldn’t figure out the reason behind his discontent.

And, of course, her partner wasn’t _exactly_ helping her in that sense though.

“Listen, Carrots.” He gave her a surly glance. “I don’t know what you saw this morning, but I assure you misunderstood _everything_. Could you please drop the subject now? I’m trying to do my job, just in case you didn’t notice.”

“ _You_ , working? Nice joke, Nick.” Judy grabbed his uniform in order to prevent him from distancing her further. “Stop pretending to look for random dossiers, you don’t really want to do your job. And, _just in case you didn’t notice_ , you can’t possibly trick me.”

Nick twisted his mouth, his eyes opened wide. “You don’t say?”

“You deny it?”

“I’m not denying _anything_ , Carrots. Just– leave me…”

“Leave you…?” She glared at the fox, daring him to finish that sentence.

After a silence that seemed to last an eternity, Nick heaved a deep sigh. “Nothing, forget it.”

Judy, too, mentally sighed.

Of relief.

“ _Nothing_? But…”

A kind smile emerged on his muzzle as a gentle paw caressed her head. “I could never tell you to leave me alone” he said, almost as he read her mind. His voice was so soft that Judy had to gulped, her throat suddenly dry.

“Don’t treat me like I am–”

“ _What_? A cute, little bunny?” Nick scratched the fur behind her ears. “But isn’t what you are, my sweet Carrots?”

Arguing with him was like throwing stones at a rubber wall; no matter what Judy could say, Nick would always turned her words against her.

“I told you not to call me… c-cute.” The sentence left her lips _a lot less_ harsh compared to how much it was in her mind.

_‘Curse you, charming fox.’_

“Then, stop being cute.” Nick’s smirk disappeared and a frown came in its place. “Or, if you can’t… try at least to be cute just _with me_.”

“… _Excuse me?_ ”

Nick rolled his eyes as if he was talking to an idiot. “Cuteness is something you have to… use carefully, Carrots. You can’t just be adorable with everyone; you must make a choice. A good one.”

Judy was slowing realizing what the fox was trying to imply. “And… you’d be a ‘good choice’?”

Nick happily wagged his tail. “Of course I am.”

“You are _insane_ ”.

She would _never_ have admitted it, but… how could him be so _cute_ when he acted like that?

The fox slightly lowered his ears due to her reaction, but he quickly regained his usual mood. “Well, the notion of ‘mental sanity’ can have many facets, you know. Which parameters do we use in order to establish if an animal is or is not mad? Moreover, do we really have the _right_ to make this sort of assumption?”

Judy felt a strange sensation – presumably a headache – about to assault her temple. “I’m starting to think you’re just an outcome of my imagination, you know.”

“Wanna try?” He stretched his arms out. “Come here, Carrots, and hug your delusion.”

“I’d hug you, if only you stopped saying nonsense.”

“Really?” Nick wagged his tail again – was he doing it on purpose? – “Deal, no rubbish for a week.”

Judy observed him, suspect growing in her. Those paws were so tempting, but… something was just _wrong_ , some details kept slipping away from her mind. It was like an incomplete puzzle with only a piece away.

And then, suddenly, realization hit her right in the face. “Ah!” she uttered. “I got it now!”

Nick slowly lowered his arms, bewildered. “ _What_ did you get, Carrots?”

“Everything” she replied. An uncontrolled titter was trying to come up on her lips. “Today’s argument, your bad mood… everything!”

“Carrots…” Nick started, but Judy abruptly interrupted him.

“Jealous!” she shouted out. “You were _jealous_ of Clawhauser! Oh, I can’t believe it.”

The fox drooped his ears, his self-confidence suddenly nowhere to be seen.

He was _not_ denying the fact, Judy noticed. A funny whim tickled her throat and she felt the urge to giggle again, even though she didn’t exactly know why.

“I wouldn’t call it… _jealousy_ ” Nick muttered, spitting the last word like he considered it ridiculous. «Just, well… it’s not _desirable_ that a chubby cheetah call a bunny ‘cute’.”

“Oh, is that so.” Judy leaned her paws against the hips and looked at him with a sly smile. “But I wonder, Nick… did _you_ really have to tell Clawhauser about this?”

“Well, sooner or later someone had to.”

“Someone like _me_ , for example.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Maybe I was just waiting for the right time.”

“Or maybe you’d never tell him.”

“How can you be so sure?” she asked. “Perhaps you can read my mind, officer Wilde?”

He averted his eyes, paws sliding into his pockets – _‘Stop being so stiff, you jerk!’_ – and said: “I’m not _that_ cocky, Carrots.”

Judy started to turn around him. “Not good, officer Wilde, not good… I’ll be compelled to cut your pay.”

“Are you having fun?”

 _‘A lot.’_ Judy giggled and stopped her turn just in front of him. “Nick, you are an idiot.”

“Oh, thank you very much, I really appreciate your kind words. Are you done mocking me?”

“Not yet.” Her tiny arms embraced him softly. “Dumb fox.”

At first she felt him startling, but then Nick slowly returned the hug. “The fact you treat me like a fool and the fact I let you doing it never fail to astonish me, officer Hopps. Where in the world did my self-respect go?”

His voice was almost the usual one, but a small note of doubt was still left in it. “You know” she began, hugging him tighter, “we _are_ partner, and this is never going to change.”

“Really?” Nick laughed and scratched her head. “So… does it mean that I’m allowed to get angry if some foolish officer tries to steal my Carrots?”

“It depends: if you have strong evidence…”

“What if it’s circumstantial?” he asked, slightly malicious.

“Well… in that case, you can always make a complaint.”


	5. Fox ~ Offended

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Nick pulled back his ears, a little offended. “Your insinuations hurt me, Judy. What kind of officer would blame others for her misfortune?”_  
>  “An officer who lose twenty times against the same fox.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S BEEN A YEAR - not really - but chapter 5 is finally here! I'm sorry it took me so long, but I must confess I am a lazy person, so...  
> I hope you'll like it!

“Hey, Carrots. Are you okay?”  
  
It was quite obvious that she was pretty far from being _okay_.  
  
Nonetheless, Nick hadn’t be able to restrain himself from asking that question.  
  
“Shut up” Judy told him, “I’m pondering.”  
  
The fox smirked. “Go ahead, sweetheart. I doubt your _pondering_ will be useful this time, though.”  
  
Her ears stirred. “The one on my right” she finally said, with a slight tremor in her voice.  
  
“The one on your right?” Nick repeated. “Are you sure? Don’t you want to think about it a little more?”  
  
“Stop blabbing and show me that card!”  
  
“Alright Carrots, alright… sooo, there you go.”  
  
… The look on her face was absolutely priceless.  
  
“No way…” The bunny collapsed on her desk, exhausted.  
  
“20-0” he reminded her. “Well, that’s a record… in its own way, I suppose.”  
  
“What were the odds?” Judy asked against the wood.

“Well, the probability of picking a specific card from two possible choices is 50%. You failed twenty times, so… how much is 0.5 x 20, Carrots?”

She groaned in pain. “… 0.000095%.”

“You’re _so_ good at multiplying” he joked, giving her a sly smile.

“You cheated!” Judy cried out as she pointed him with utter indignation. “There’s no other explanation!”

Nick pulled back his ears, a little offended. “Your insinuations hurt me, Judy. What kind of officer would blame others for her misfortune?”

“An officer who lose twenty times against the same fox.”

“How _unprofessional_ of you. Know that I consider myself officially aggrieved, Judy.”

And, to prove that the snub was real, Nick turned his back on her and went to his desk.

A few minutes later, a little gray paw leaned on his shoulder.

“Hum, Nick…”

The fox pretended to not hear her.

“Nick, I’m sorry about earlier, okay? It’s not like I wanted to…”

“ _Oh_ ” he sighed, “what is this buzz that tickles my ears? Maybe the lament of some lost bug which can’t find its way home?”

“Oh, for _cheese_ sake!” The chair he was sitting on turned around and stopped in front of a rather upset Judy Hopps. “Stop acting like that!”

“Hey, it was _you_ who started this.”

“You know I didn’t mean _anything_ you’re pretending to be offended for.”

“No” he replied, “I don’t know.”

“C’mon Nick, do you really think I’d even _suggest_ you cheated just because you are a fox?”

“I should be the one who’s supposed to ask you this question.”

“Well, do you want me to say that? Okay, I will: _no_.”

The two mammals looked at each other for a _long_ time.

“So, what was that stupid charge?” he finally asked, sullen.

“A playful charge made against Nick Wilde” she replied. “And not as a fox, but as my partner… and friend.”

“Oh, so this is how you treat a friend. What an honor.”

In fact, Nick had understood perfectly well what Judy was trying to say… however, the way she was getting nervous in the attempt to clear the misunderstanding was so fulfilling, and made him feel so important, that it would be a pity to cut her off.

_“Maybe I can convince her to hang out with me, if I handle this right.”_

Judy’s ears lowered, raised and lowered again, probably following her thoughts.

She was truly a cutie pie.

“I’m sorry, Nick, I’m really sorry. I… I spoke out of turn, and I apologize for this.”

“And you _still_ keep on yapping” he told her. “Why don’t you prove your repentance with facts and not with mere words?”

A pleased grin was trying to surface on his muzzle. Nick abruptly turned his back so that she wouldn’t notice. _‘Hang in there, man.’_

“Hey…” she murmured. “Don’t turn your back to me…”

Her voice was like dripping honey into his ears. One day – he was _sure_ of that – he would get killed by that voice.

“So?” Nick asked, purposely keeping his tone offended. “How does officer Hopps intend to remedy this?”

“I, hum… was thinking we could… go to cinema, one of these nights?”

_‘Straight into my trap.’_

He barely contained the waggle of his tail before turning again to Judy, faking his best bored look. “It depends. Which movie?”

“W-whatever you want! And it’s on me, of course.”

“Hmm…”

Nick was playing a very _dangerous_ game: in between his curling lips and his waggling tail, the fox had difficulty in not revealing how _over the moon_ he actually was for the unexpected turn of events.

“So… how about that?” Judy asked, hesitant.

“You won’t take it back, will you?” Nick crossed his arms and raised a single eyebrow. “It would be a shame if, in the end, officer Hopps did not keep her word.”

“I’ll keep my word!” she exclaimed. “A promise is a promise.”

“ _Perfect!_ ” Nick raised from his chair with a _huge_ smile on his face. “Tonight, 20:30, Harmonia cinema. If you’ll be late, double shot of movies. No, _triple_. And we’ll go out to dinner. Or breakfast, depending on the hour…”

Judy widened her eyes. “ _You…!_ ”

“Yes, me! And you! And _us_!”

“Did you _pretend_ to be angry?”

“Oh, no, I _was_ angry… for the first three minutes.”

“I can’t believe it…” Judy put a paw over her muzzle. “I am an idiot.”

“ _Dumb bunny_ ” he mocked her. “Nah, just a little naïve.”

Judy gazed at the floor with a sigh. “I can’t stand you…”

Nick bended forward in order for them to be at the same height. “How about a hug, Carrots?”

“Go away” she muttered – not being so convincing.

“I’ll take that to be a ‘yes’.” He spread his arms and closed the partner in a soft embrace. “There, there, don’t be sad little bunny. Tonight is going to be _so much_ fun.”

“And here I thought I hurt you” she complained against his chest. “You _scared_ me, Nick.”

“I know, I know…” he said, patting her head. “But it’s _your_ fault, Carrots. You make me act like a dumb fox, sometimes.”

He was just saying that but maybe, _maybe_ there was some truth in his words.

And maybe _a lot_ of truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I want to thank all the people who read, comment, bookmark, subscribe and leave kudos on this collection.  
> Second, _please_ , let me know if there are mistakes or any sort of carelessness or if you simply think I could have translated something better. All I want is to give you a well-writter story (in any possible sense), so go ahead and tell me!
> 
> See ya cupcakes! <3


	6. Fox ~ Something good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _However, that day was different. It really was, because the small miracle called Judy Hopps was encouraging him to do something good – not funny, not exciting, just_ something good _. And Nick thought,_ why not _, for once he would have accepted her call and done his job without complaining._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Faster than expected. I'm getting good at translating!

Since Nick had joined the police force and became Judy’s partner, he started noticing it more and more often.

He had observed her small body, frenetically moving across Zootopia’s districts, hopping wherever she could arrive thank to her powerful hind legs, worming her way through every nasty alley, looking for a clue which could lead her to the truth… and all in the name of the justice she firmly believed in.

Nick _admired_ that bunny; for him, she was just like a beautiful, soaring bird. Every day he witnessed the strength in her tiny body which gave her a unique, precious courage and got her back on her feet when the cruelty of Zootopia helplessly pushed her down to the ground.

“How do you do that?” he asked Judy one day, and she gave him a perplexed look in response.

Of course, Judy could have never understood… but _he could_. And because he could, he stared in wonder at that miracle; beautiful like a blooming flower, bright like a star, pure like a snowflake, compared to which his slyness was nothing but dust blown away by the wind.

“Nick, are you sure you are okay? You seem… _weird_.”              

The fox smiled. She was so unaware, _oh_ , so cutely unaware. “Of course I am okay, Carrots” he replied.

And it was true. Because, just staying by her side, Nicholas Wilde had a feeling that he could take part in that wonderful miracle and change what he was. Become _better_ than what he was.

Judy exhaled a sigh. “I wish I could say the same about the huge pile of dossiers that lies on your desk since… _a week_?”

“But they are all stupid cases” he justified himself. “Listen to this… ‘stolen tulips at the flower shop’. It’s been three days; they’re probably withered by now.”

“Well, maybe if you had begun the search the very day the report came to you…”

“And according to which criteria could I ever have recognized the stolen flowers, Carrots? Oh, maybe I could have asked them: ‘Excuse me, are you the kidnapped tulips?’”

Judy laughed. “Ok, I’ll give you that. But what about the others?”

“Same. I had better things to do, this week.”

“You don’t say.” Her eyebrows tightened up. “And what got your complete attention, officer Wilde?”

_‘You, for example.’_ “Oh, you know, foxes stuff: taking a selfie, posting it on Instafur, making fun of the animal kingdom, playing some checkers against total strangers…”

“Accurate depiction of yourself, Nick, not the entire species.”

“For you, sweetheart, I _am_ the entire species, since I’m the only fox in your thoughts. Right?”

Nick smirked as Judy gazed away in embarrassment, ears drooped. “Why don’t you help me solve this case instead of saying nonsense?” she asked, a little upset. “Since you don’t seem willing to do your own job.”

The fox crossed his arms behind the head. “Sure, if it’s interesting enough.”

“I’m afraid it isn’t. Just a bicycle theft.”

Under normal circumstances, Nick would have pretended to not hear her and paid attention to _everything else_ in their office.

However, that day was different. It really was, because the small miracle called Judy Hopps was encouraging him to do something good – not funny, not exciting, just _something good_. And Nick thought, _why not_ , for once he would have accepted her call and done his job without complaining.

“Deal, Carrots. But for a price.”

Judy rolled her eyes. “A blueberry milkshake?”

“ _And_ ” he added, “we’ll hang out in the city, one of these afternoons. Just me and you.”

“Nick!” his partner said. “With all the work we–”

“Shhh, don’t pronounce that _horrible_ word. The only answer I’m willing to hear is ‘yes’, my dear.”

She hesitated. “Will you promise to help me?” finally inquired. “Won’t you make excuses as usual?”

“I solemnly swear I won’t leave your side. You have my word, officer Hopps.”

“Fine, then.” Judy gave him a malicious smile. “I’ll _hunt you down_ , officer Wilde, so you’d better keep your promise.”

_‘Oh, I’d_ love _being hunted by you, Carrots.’_

_________________________________________________

(Click [here](http://67.media.tumblr.com/8f3699d54918456f0553d6ae7a02a725/tumblr_inline_o6ltssGZ6B1slhkqd_1280.jpg) for a special illustration by [Rem289](http://rem289.Tumblr.com) ❤)

_________________________________________________


	7. Bunny ~ Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _He held his paw out. “Deal?”_
> 
> _“Hum… deal… I guess?” The bunny reached and gently shook it and, the exact moment their paws touched, Judy knew for a fact she had just fell into a big bag of troubles._

_________________________________________________

(Click [here](http://i.imgur.com/ljRc2fX.jpg) for a special illustration by [Rem289](http://rem289.Tumblr.com) ❤)

_________________________________________________

It was slight past 4:00 pm. Nick sipped his blueberry milkshake as he was scrolling the screen of his smartphone with the free paw.

“We _did_ really hang out, after all” Judy said, stirring her coffee with a little spoon. “Knowing our proverbial misfortune, I would’ve at least expected the Armageddon.”

And, to be honest, she wasn’t sure it couldn’t still happen.

Nick pulled off his sunglasses. “You mean _your_ proverbial misfortune, Carrots. I’d truly appreciate if you wouldn’t lower me to your level.”

“How rude, officer Wilde.”

“Don’t call me ‘officer’, darling. We are not cops today, just a lovely couple lost in the Garden of Eden.”

“ _Garden of Eden?_ ” Judy burst out laughing. “This place? Surrounded by mammals five or even ten times our size, seated at the table of a second category café – okay, they make a delicious milkshake here, stop giving me that glance – and constantly waiting for an emergency call? Didn’t expect to be like that, the Garden of Eden.”

“It’s not a matter of place, Judy. It’s the _love_ ” he claimed, placing a paw over his heart, “that makes this café our private Garden of Eden.”

“Sure thing, partner.” Judy rolled her eyes without bothering to hide her amused smile. “Keep dreaming.”

 Nick’s forthcoming reply was abruptly interrupted by a concerned trumpeting coming from the street.

Judy’s ears moved on their own.  “Did you hear that?”

“No” he replied, “for I am the first deaf fox in the ZPD history.”

She ignored his sarcasm. “Let’s go” Judy said instead, but she froze on the spot when she noticed his expression.  “What’s up, Nick?”

The fox rolled his eyes. “What does your cop’s intuition suggest to you?”

“ _Thief!_ ” a desperate voice screamed. “My suitcase! My suitcase!”

“Nick!” her flesh was trembling with impatience.  “We must intervene! It’s our duty!”

He remained silent.

 _‘I can’t believe he’s really sulking about it’_ she thought, hardly containing a sigh. “Are you planning to keep that face any longer?”

Nick eventually gave up. “The list of your debt gets longer, Carrots.”

“Blame crime, not me.” The bunny reached the doorway with a single hop. “I’ll go on ahead. Don’t you dare _run for the hills_ , officer.”

The fox put his paws in the air, in surrender. “I don’t think I even have the energy to do it.”

“I’ll make amends.”

“Like you always do.”

Judy shook her head and proceeded to move forward the little crowd of animals which had gathered just outside the café. _‘How can you be so stupid to think I’m happy to ruin one of our rare moments together?’_ she wondered, pain slightly piercing her heart. The more she tried to wipe away Nick’s disappointed face from her mind, the more she felt horrible and mean. And she totally, absolutely, positevely  _hated_ it.

 _‘I’m just doing my duty’_ Judy told herself, but something kept sounding wrong, almost to the point she had to fight the urge to go back to Nick.

 

_________

 

“So, in the end…”

Judy buried the face in her paws. “Not again…”

“That stupid elephant just dropped his suitcase behind a dumpster.”

“Nick…”

“And, because of his idiocy…” Nick started counting on the fingers. “Let’s see: I thrown out my delicious blueberry milkshake, I wasted two hours of my precious free time listening to the unlikely description of the unlikely shadow figure who had presumably stolen his stupid suitcase…” 

“Nick!”

“I almost had my tail trampled not once, not twice but _three times_ by the mob of cretins massed all around the stupid elephant… and, even more serious, I burnt the chance to spend an afternoon with my favorite rabbit.”

Good thing he only had four fingers.

“So, pulling the strings" he continued, “how should I rate this day, officer Hopps?”

Judy heaved a deep, deep sigh. “Are you going to throw that in my face the rest of our life?”

“Maybe.” He bestowed a smile upon her. “I already told you, yes? Your list of debt gets longer and longer, Carrots. Why don’t we start to cross some payment off it?”

“What do you have in mind?” she foolishly asked, resulting in his grin growing wider.

“Your family products blueberries, If I remember correctly.”

“Yes, they do. But what–”

“Let me meet them, then. Your parents, I mean. You know, I always thought: ‘I’d really like to congratulate them for the sublime quality of their _production_.”

There was something incredibly ambiguous in the way he had said ‘production’, but Judy convinced herself – she _had_ to – it was only her perception.

That did not stop her from smelling trouble though.

“Well, okay” she said, nonetheless – because she really wanted to make up for lost time. “I didn’t’ know you cared so much about meeting them but, if you say so… it’s okay, I suppose.”

He held his paw out. “Deal?”

“Hum… deal… I guess?” The bunny reached and gently shook it and, the _exact_ moment their paws touched, Judy _knew for a fact_ she had just fell into a big bag of troubles.


	8. Fox ~ Anger (7➝)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Are you worried?”_   
>  _Judy’s question caught him off guard. “No” he replied, instinctively. But before her amused smile, his lie short lived. “… Maybe, a little.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that this chapter is a direct sequel of the previous one, that's why there's a 7➝ in the title!

If Nick Wilde hadn’t had the guts, he would probably never have got on that train. However, he said to himself, he had a more than valid reason for doing so.

And that reason was just sitting right beside him, intent on looking for something among the Zoogle Photo albums.

“Here” Judy eventually said, “this is a picture of me and my parents.”

Nick craned his neck to get a closer look. "How old were you here?"

She smiled. “I had just turned eighteen.”

Nick smiled back. “You didn’t change a bit, Carrots.”

That was not true, but he needed to make a little fun of her in order to forget the anxiety that was creeping into him.

“Liar.” But Judy laughed, probably aware – she was getting to know him _too well_ – he was only trying to tease.

“You got me.” The fox closed his eyes and rested the head on the seat. “Sly bunny.”

Shrouded in darkness, Nick began to rethink of how careless he had been.

No, not careless… _naive_. Naive because, for a moment, he had thought he could ignore a crucial problem: he was a fox, but Judy was a rabbit. And that rabbit was leading him – at _his_ request, no less! – in a _damn_ burrow full of other rabbits who, presumably, had spent all their life doing nothing but sell carrots to other rabbits and give birth to rabbits which, in turn, would have grown between carrots and sold those very carrots to other rabbits and so on, in an endless cycle of rabbits and carrots, carrots and rabbits.

And it was extremely unlikely that Nick Wilde would have found a place in this delicate ecosystem.

“Are you worried?”

Judy’s question caught him off guard. “No” he replied, instinctively. But before her amused smile, his lie short lived. “… Maybe, a little.”

_________________________________________________

(Click [here](http://i.imgur.com/A65QpmL.jpg) for a special illustration by [Rem289](http://rem289.Tumblr.com) ❤)

_________________________________________________

Judy crossed her arms, a playful look on her face. “What were you waiting for telling me this, you dumb fox? Do you really think I’m _this_ slow?”

There was no sign of a real reproach in her voice. Nevertheless, Nick couldn’t help but feel something very similar to a guilt suddenly burden on his stomach.

“Not at all, Carrots. It’s just…” Nick sighed, waiting for the right words to come out. “I didn’t consider the implications of the whole thing and now I am, you know…”

“ _Unprepared_?” She suggested.

The fox paused, mentally praising Judy for her cleverness… and mentally shivering for the same reason.

“Sort of.”

Judy laughed again. “I’d like to remind you that it was _your_ idea, Nick.”

“I know” said the fox. “Even someone like me can misjudge things, from time to time.”

The bunny shook her gray, little head. “If it’s any consolation, you aren’t the first fox my parents have to do with.”

In fact, it consoled him a little. Nick’s ears raised both in relief and curiosity. “Oh. Didn’t know that.”

“Yes” she confirmed. “They are in business together.”

The matter was taking a quite unexpected turn. “Why didn’t you say that before, Carrot?” Nick felt like suddenly free from an enormous weight.

“Maybe because… you didn’t ask me? Besides, how can I figure out that Nicholas Wilde, my partner who always seems to be in control of the situation, is actually _terrified_ at the thought of meeting my family?”

“I wasn’t terrified!” Nick claimed. “Just a little… _unsettled_.”

“Oh, cutie pie.” Judy grabbed his cheeks and began to pull them. “You’re _so cute_ when you are cornered.”

“Don’t–!” Nick felt a wave of heat falling over him. “Don’t treat me like a child, Carrots.”

“ _Dumb fox_ ” she whispered, a breath away from his nose. “Do you like this inversion of roles?”

“Yes… I mean, _no_.” He cursed his subconscious with all his might. “You’re _hurting_ me, could you please let me go now?”

After what seemed an interminable – or too short, depending on the point of view – moment, Judy stopped teasing him but didn’t break eye contact. “Feeling better, _partner_?”

Nick rubbed his cheeks, a meager attempt to disguise the overwhelming embarrassment that was devouring him. “Much better, thank you… _partner_.”

“You know” she began after a while, “it seems it’s thank to me that my parents ‘opened their eyes’ and decided to be in business with Gideon Grey.”

“ _Gideon Grey_ ” repeated Nick, trying to remember whose name was that. “I don’t know him.”

Judy cocked his head. “No, silly, of course you don’t know him, he’s not some important businessman or whatever. I call him by name because we were schoolmates.”

Nick pricked up his ears. “Schoolmates?”

“Yep. Imagine that: we’re the same age, and he already has a business of his own.” Judy let out a smile and Nick couldn’t help but feel a vague sense of danger because of the appreciation inherent in her voice.

“Did you two get along?” He asked, faking his best indifference to the matter. But… if he was faking it for Judy or himself, that was not something he could easily discern.

“Not really” replied Judy. “To be honest… one day, after a school play, we had a fight. I pushed him to the ground and he jumped back on me and…” she touched her left cheek. “He scratched my face.”

“ _What?_ ” Nick’s eyes widened. “That fox _attacked_ you?”

She nodded. “More or less. But it happened long time ago, Nick; besides, Gideon was a very insecure fox. He kind of tried to mask his weaknesses posing as ugly and bad.”

‘ _That explains a lot_ ’, he thought. The fox repellant he had noticed at their first meeting had suddenly taken on an entirely different meaning.

“And… did you forgive that guy?” he asked, careful looking for the slightest change in her expression.

“We were kids, Nick!” Judy rolled her eyes and looked out the window, beyond the hills surrounding the valley the train had just entered in. “And very stupid, in our own way. It’s obvious that I forgave him.”

“But that didn't authorize him to hurt you.” Was it _anger,_ what he felt was boiling in his veins?

“At that age you can’t distinguish between good and bad. Gideon probably felt ‘attacked’ by me and reacted accordingly.”

“Oh, sure” Nick nodded. “A fox feels attacked by a rabbit and then reacts to protect his person. Good defensive line, _lawyer_ Hopps. With this reasoning you could pull out of jail the worst criminals of Zootopia.”

Judy sighed. “Nick, I didn't tell you this story to make you angry.”

“I’m not angry” the fox replied. He was _furious_ , indeed. “But you should learn how to dose this understanding towards others. There are actions that can’t be justified, neither now nor in a million years.”

A painful memory threatened to surface on his mind, but the fox put it back with hatred.

Judy lowered her ears and looked at him, her purple eyes filled with surprise. “Nick…?”

But Nick wouldn’t have let the matter slide… not this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, please let me know if something in the translation is wrong. Thank you! :D


	9. Fox ~ Gideon Grey (8➝)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Very pleased” said Nick, politely. “Nicholas Piberius Wilde, police officer.”_  
>  _Gideon Grey paled. “A-ah, so you’re both…”_  
>  _“Officers, yes” Judy promptly confirmed._  
>  _“And_ partners _” he clarified._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I'm horribly late! Sorry sorry sorry!

“Nick, he’s Gideon Grey.” Judy held her paw toward the fox.

Nick eyed him top to bottom. ‘ _Silly face, silly hair, silly apron and_ _…’_ He mentally sighed. _‘_ _He works with Judy_ _’_ _s parents._ ’

Lucky for him, Nicholas Wilde was a great actor.

“Very pleased” said Nick, politely. “Nicholas Piberius Wilde, police officer.”

Gideon Grey paled. “A-ah, so you’re both…”

“Officers, yes” Judy promptly confirmed.

“And _partners_ ” he clarified.

The other fox scratched his head, every hair of the body exuding discomfort. “N-nice to meet you, Mr. Wilde. I-I didn’t believe a fox could… I mean…”

“Could become a _cop_?” Nick suggested, widely smiling. He saw Gideon Grey nodding and swallowing empty.

“Oh, b-but please don’t misunderstand me, I think it’s g-great!”

Out of the corner of his eyes, Nick glimpsed Judy’s begging face.

The sly fox let out a bored sigh. “Yes” he eventually agreed, “really great.”

For a moment, no one said anything. Judy had buried her face in the paws – ‘ _don_ _’_ _t be so dramatic, Carrots, it_ _’_ _s just ordinary rivalry between predators!_ _’_ – And the fox named Gideon Grey had started to look around, as if he sook an escape from that oppressive atmosphere.

In all this, Nicholas Wilde couldn’t have been more pleased.

To be completely fair, a part of himself was vaguely aware of his childishness. Nevertheless, even with all his good intentions – because Nick was _really_ trying to not to jump at Gideon’s throat – he just couldn’t stand that apron-wearing idiot.

Even if, or maybe _exactly because_ Judy had asked him to do so.

Taking advantage of a moment when Grey wasn’t looking at them, Judy gave him a nudge in the side. “You know” she began, as if nothing happened, “Gideon makes some fantastic blueberry cakes, you should definitely try them.”

Nick gritted his teeth as he rubbed the aching side. “ _Wow._ ”

“O-oh” Gideon stammered, “Judy is too kind, I’m just an o-ordinary baker…”

“Don’t underestimate yourself, Gideon!” Judy said, slightly touching his arm with a paw. “Your cakes are really delicious; every bunny in the Hopps house thinks so.”

Nick rolled his eyes. ‘ _Why do I have to suffer like this, I wonder._ ’

Gideon Grey laughed, embarrassed. “I’m very happy y-you feel that way, Judy. You know, I haven’t much confidence in my abilities…”

“And you’re wrong.” Judy smiled with a warmth Nick didn’t think he could see addressed to someone who wasn’t, well… _himself_.

It hurt a bit, to be honest.

‘ _But it shouldn_ _’_ _t_ ’ he said to his subconscious. ‘ _C_ _’_ _mon Nick, you're acting like a child. She_ _’_ _s not your property, ya know._ ’

‘ _She_ is _._ ’

‘ _She_ _’_ _s_ not _._ ’

‘ _She is, I said. And, even if she wasn_ _’_ _t_ _–_ _which is_ not _the case_ _–_ _she certainly doesn_ _’_ _t belong to that cretin._ ’

If Judy had known a part of Nick considered her as his property, she wouldn’t have hesitated to toss him in jail and throw the key in the crater of a volcano.

The thought made him smile, but the smile died out soon when Nick remembered where he was and what was happening before his eyes.

“So!” The fox let out a cough in order to bring the attention upon himself. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Grey, but Judy and I should go now, so… _adieu_.”

“What?” Judy opened her mouth to protest, but Nick quickly put an arm around her waist and forced her to follow him.

“What are you doing?” she hissed.

“I walk away before I can make myself proponent of a crime and you an eyewitness of that crime, Carrots.”

"For heaven’s sake!" Judy stamped on his paw, forcing their escape to coming to an end. “You’re acting like a child, Nick!”

‘ _What did I say, useless subconscious of my nuts?_ ’

“ _Carrots_ ” Nick began, between grunts of pain, “what do you think my opinion of Gideon Grey is?”

“That's the point, Nick” said Judy. “You don’t want to have an opinion about him. Just _you_ , who claim to hate prejudices, are acting exactly as you had them.”

“It's not a prejudice, it’s a _fact_. How can I ignore his past? Mammals like him keep alive the fear preys have for predators. It’s because of him that you…”

“Stop talking as if Gideon was the cause of all evil in the world.” Judy silenced him, putting a paw on his mouth. “I forgave him, so you have no reason not to do the same. Moreover… to be honest, Nick, I don’t even understand why you are so upset.”

“Can’t you work it out for yourself?” Nick asked, harsher than he actually wanted to sound.

Judy slightly cocked her head – a sign she didn’t understand the meaning of what she was being told. “Are you trying to imply something?”

Nick rolled his eyes. “Yes, that you _are_ a dumb bunny.”

She wrinkled her nose, resentful. “It’s _you_ that is acting like a dumb fox, Nick.”

“I’m not dumb, Judy, just…” He eventually gave up before completing the sentence. “Never mind, Carrots. Never mind.”

The truth was that Nick had no desire to explain to Judy what he wasn’t able to explain even to himself. Not to mention the fact that, despite his lack of empathy toward Gideon Grey, he _did_ know his behavior was biased.

‘ _In the end_ ’ he thought, ‘ _I_ _’_ _m not so different from the other animals._ ’

“Nick, listen.” Judy took a deep breath, as if she was getting ready to argue with a troublesome puppy. “I’m glad you took to heart the question of Gideon Grey” and, in saying that, she gently grabbed his paw. “I really am. And I understand that the idea of a fox behaving as Gideon did make your blood boil. In the same way I know – I suppose, at least –  that the thought of me being attacked by a counterpart of yours isn’t very… pleasant.”

In ordinary circumstances, Nick would have laughed at all the subtle implications in Judy’s phrase and responded in the usual, sarcastic way he reserved to the most entertaining discussions.

Yet, the infamous laughter just didn’t want to come out. Nick opened his mouth and tried to make a sound, any sound, but he failed. And then, realizing that he could only listen to her, he bowed his head with a sigh.

“But you see, Nick” Judy continued, softly, “everyone has the opportunity to change. But, if this possibility remained tied to what we were in the past, then none of us could ever aspire to be anything more than what he already is. If we are actually able to change, Nick, it’s _precisely_ because we can leave the past behind and reborn better than before. And…” she caressed his paw as if it was her most precious treasure. “You should know that better than anyone else, my dumb fox.”

‘ _As usual_ ’ Nick thought, ‘ _I_ _’_ _m really no match for you, Judy Hopps._ ’

No one could be, because there weren’t stars as bright as her in any corner of the universe.

And, perhaps, they would have never existed.

“It's amazing how you manage to do that” Nick finally said, smiling at her.

“Manage to do… _what_?”

“Manage to shine in this impossibly dazzling way.” Nick lowered his head and kissed the gray paw which had took his a few minutes before. “Your light enthrall and delights me every day, madam.”

_________________________________________________

(Click [here](http://i.imgur.com/orXD5Sz.jpg) for a special illustration by [Rem289](http://rem289.Tumblr.com) ❤)

_________________________________________________

Judy blushed and turned away. “Idiot! That was a serious speech…”

“Mine too” he quietly replied. “I’m always serious when I flatter you.”

She was so cute when she acted like a flustered child. She made him want to make her even more embarrassed.

“Well… okay" Judy muttered, giving him a suspicious – yet adorable – look. “But don’t expect to get away with this, officer Wilde: you’re going to apologize to Gideon.”

Nick shook his head. “Oh, no. I'll do something even better than that, sweetheart.”

Judy’s ears drooped. “No” she whispered, terrified. “Please no. Your ‘best’ is always a–”

“A _mess_?” The fox chuckled. “But that's why we always have so much fun, Carrots.”

“ _Who_ has fun?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter I usually consider concluded the part of the collection which I think is a bit "naive". It means that the next chapters, in my opinion of course, are greater that the first nine.  
> As usual, let me know if there are mistakes/typos/whatever! I love you guyz!


	10. Bunny ~ Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Fifty-fifty?” she suggested. Nick laughed and lightly touched her cheek, then his paw went down, slowly and concerned, until it reached her battered and sore neck. That gesture was so sudden, yet so delicate, that Judy didn’t even have time to think of an appropriate response._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I kept you waiting so much for an update, here's your price! (Not really...)  
> Hope you'll like it :)

Judy gave a very painful cough, which felt like a stab into her already compromised diaphragm.

“You did great, Hopps.”

Judy tried to smile, and almost failed. “Thank you, chief. Just… my job.”

“Don’t be so modest. Catching an angry gorilla it’s not something I would call ‘just your job’.”

“I wasn’t alone” Judy said, trying to contain the piercing spasms. “Wilde has proved himself as ready… as me.”

“I've already thanked your partner for the excellent work, Hopps. But it’s nonetheless true that your intervention was fundamental to catch the criminal.”

Judy relaxed her bust and slid against the wall. “Yes… sir.”

She was tired, really tired.

“The ambulance is coming. Hang in there, you'll be in the hospital as soon as possible.”

Judy nodded and closed her eyes, trying to breathe very slowly in order to not strain the diaphragm. She remained in that state for a very long time – at least, it _did_ feel like an eternity – and then…

“ _Hey._ ”

The bunny barely opened her heavy eyes and saw a green, familiar glow. The corners of her mouth slowly curled upward. “Hey” she whispered to the fox who had bent to her height – a courtesy that Judy didn’t fail to find absolutely adorable. “Officer Wilde… congratulations.”

“Oh, no.” Nick shook his head and gave her a smile as sweet as gingerbread. “You are the real heroine here, Hopps.”

“Fifty-fifty?” she suggested. Nick laughed and lightly touched her cheek, then his paw went down, slowly and concerned, until it reached her battered and sore neck. That gesture was so sudden, yet so delicate, that Judy didn’t even have time to think of an appropriate response.

“You're looking pretty bad, you know?” His voice, usually so calm and self-confident, had assumed a low and subdued tone. Even the care he was caressing her fur with had something different from the usual… something _good_ , that made her shiver.

“Are you worried about me?” Judy asked, grinning slightly. “Try to stay in character, Nicholas Wilde. Where's your infamous cynicism?”

Judy just wanted to be funny but, contrary to expectations, the fox didn’t laugh; he sighed and returned her jab with a glare so serious it hurt.

“Do you ask me if I'm worried about you?” Nick retired the paw, which caused Judy to almost groan in disappointment. “I'm not worried, indeed. I’m _worried to death_ , you dumb rabbit.”

Judy looked into his green, gleaming eyes and glimpsed something that reminded her of the _fear_. “Oh, Nick…”

“Don’t ‘ _oh, Nick_ ’ me, Judy!”

In a heartbeat, Nick embraced her with all his might.

“You could have died. Do you realize it? _Died!_ Why didn’t you wait for me? Why do you always have to be like that? I didn’t become your partner to pick up the remains of your corpse.”

‘ _He called me by my name_ ’ she idly thought, the only glimmer of light which managed to surface from the confusion her head was drowning in.

“You…” Judy swallowed hard, struggling against the pain burdening on her chest. “You’re shaking.”

Nick ignored her. “Do you have a vague idea of how it would have ended if I didn’t have the tranqe gun with me? Just a vague idea, because I don’t expect an idiot like you can really be aware of the consequences of her actions.”

He was shaking more and more. Using all her strength, Judy lifted her arms and surrounded Nick in a pale embrace.

In her arms, she felt him flinch.

“Forgive me” she whispered in his ear. “I… I really am an idiot.”

_________________________________________________

(Click [here](http://i.imgur.com/4xN1feS.jpg) for a special illustration by [Rem289](http://rem289.Tumblr.com) ❤)

_________________________________________________

“It’s not just about _you_ ” Nick continued, hugging her even tighter – he was almost _hurting_ her, but she didn’t complain. “What… what should I do, if you were gone? How do you think I would feel if, one day, my partner told me ‘goodbye’ and bought a one-way ticket to Heaven?”

“Nick…”

She was so, _so_ weak; every part of her body hurt and breathing was costing her a huge effort.

Yet, the physical pain was nothing compared to the suffering that was burning in her heart.

Big tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she stroked his rigid and trembling back. “I’m sorry, Nick. I’m so sorry…”

“You should be more selfish, you know?” continued Nick, almost whispering. “Stop thinking only about this city. Try to think of yourself too, once in a while. Try to… to think _of me_ , once in a while. Just once in a while. Without you… you don’t need me to tell you straight, do you?”

“I… I don’t know, Nick.” Judy coughed, silent cries falling down her cheeks. “I’m dumb, after all.”

He giggled a bit – and it was a mystery how that simple, low sound could pour so much _love_ in her heart, to the point she felt it about to explode in her chest.

“I _need_ you, Carrots. I need you today, tomorrow and all the days until the end of time. So please, don’t be so desperately reckless, because when you risk your life… you risk mine, too.”

Judy clung to him like he was the only thing that was preventing her from falling in a gorge. “Watch your tongue, officer Wilde” she said, burying the face in his shirt as she slowly slipped into a dark, dreamless oblivion, “you could make someone fall in love with you with those words…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Too many tenses... too... many... tenses. I'm afraid I made some mistakes, I hope I'm wrong.  
> However, this story has so many readers I can't believe it. Thank you so, so much my dears. I love every single of you, I really do. I don't know when I'll post the next chapter, within a week would be the best... welp, I'll try.  
> Goodbye!


	11. Bunny ~ In the cellar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Dumb bunny.” Nick, who suddenly seemed to be closer, spoke with an unusual gentle tone. “It’s just you and me in this cellar, what are you afraid of?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added 24 as max number of chapters just because, up to this point, I wrote 24 chapters. But I'm planning to keep writing, don't worry!

Judy tapped the fingers on her leg. The sound produced by that rhythmic gesture was amplified by the surrounding darkness and turned into an annoying echo.

“Nick…”

His name left her lips as a dejected sigh. The deep obscurity engulfed her words, as if they had never been spoken.

“Nick” Judy hissed again, “come out. _Now_.”

Still, no sound came in response. Even with her perfect hearing, Judy couldn’t sense anything. As consequence of that silence, her anxiety grew stronger.

—Along with her amusement.

‘ _He’s getting better at hiding_ ’ she thought, in an odd mixture of pride and annoyance.

“Nick, I’m serious… it’s not funny.”

“ _Who_ isn’t having fun?”

There, where nothing could be seen and heard, a familiar voice whispered amused words into her ear. Judy turned around, trying to catch the obnoxious emptiness around her, but only managed to lose balance and end up with her muzzle on the ground.

“ _Nick!_ ” She shouted. “Cut it off!”

The fox, hidden somewhere in the obscure cellar, sneered.

“Relax, Carrots!” Nick’s voice sounded perfectly calm and composed – and a bit excited, which caused Judy’s rage to increase. “I won’t eat you, I promise.”

“How can you play around in a time like this?” Judy stood up, trembling, and held out her arms in a desperate attempt to find a handhold. She hated not being able to see but, more than anything else, she hated that a _certain someone_ could see everything.

“Look – oh, right, _you_ can’t.” He chuckled again. “There is a table three steps away from you.” Nick sounded extremely pleased with himself. “You're almost there, Carrots… safe!” he claimed when she arrived at the safe spot.

Judy embraced what probably was the edge of a wooden table, like a castaway kisses the beach on which he miraculously manages to land.

“Why has nobody come to help us yet?” she grunted. “They should know our position. It’s already been an hour.”

“Have faith” said Nick, “I’m sure Clawhauser has already mobilized the entire team to find us.”

Even in the thickest darkness, Judy could almost see his skeptical expression as he alluded to Clawhauser’s lack of… _reliability_.

She wanted to contradict him – at least, she felt like she _had to_ –  but she literally had nothing to prove him wrong.

"I don’t want to die in this cellar” Judy protested, clinging to the wooden table as if it were a lifeboat. “Not before we catch that wolf.”

“The wolf is gone, Carrots” remarked Nick, as if the matter didn’t concern him. “I seriously doubt that ZPD will find him again, to be honest.”

Judy bit her lower lip. “I’d like to remind you, Nick, that _you_ are part of ZPD too, and that _the two of us_ was supposed to arrest the wolf. So, the fault is _ours_.”

‘ _No… the fault is_ mine _._ ’

A sudden snort filled the oppressive atmosphere of the cellar. “You’re so boring, Carrots. You kill my will to mock you.”

“Some good news, finally.” Judy repeatedly tapped her right foot on the floor, holding the beat of the overwhelming anger that was building inside her.

“Hey.”

Something soft and kind reached her shoulder. Judy jerked so hard she lost her grip on the table and fell to the ground for the second time. “Ouch…”

“Dumb bunny.” Nick, who suddenly seemed to be closer, spoke with an unusual gentle tone. “It’s just you and me in this cellar, what are you afraid of?”

“Y-you caught me off guard” she muttered, getting up, as anger made way for embarrassment. “I can’t see you, ya know.”

“You don’t need to _see_ me” Nick replied, a slight resentment in his voice – pretended or genuine, she couldn’t discern. “And stop giving youself all the fault, because it’s _me_ who ends up gathering the pieces of your shattered self-esteem.”

“Hey, I’m not–”

“ _Shh._ ” Again, she felt something covering her mouth, preventing her from finishing the sentence. “I know what you're gonna say, Carrots: that it was _you_ who let the wolf shut ourselves in this dank and cramped cellar of an even danker and cramped basement; that because of you we’ll have a hard time with Chief Buffalo Butt; that you don’t deserve the shiny distinctive you proudly wear on your chest… basically your usual rabbit nonsense.”

“It’s not my _rabbit nonsense_ ” Judy argued, after – reluctantly – freeing herself from Nick’s paw. “This time is _really_ my fault.”

“It’s _our_ fault, at best” he corrected her. “We’re a team, right? So we share the bad and good times.”

Judy’s flow of consciousness stalled.

The warmth of those words, so simple yet so comforting, made her heart throbbing. Judy dilated her eyes, desperately trying to tear up the blackness that surrounded her.

She _wanted_ to see him. He _had to_ see Nick, indulging into his embrace, because there was no other animal in the world able to cheer her up in the way he could. It was like magic, a beautiful magic that only the two of them knew, a magic of which they were the sacred keepers.

And so, even before her brain could sift through that thought and reduce it to something less awkward, Judy’s lips moved on their behalf.

“I want to see you” she said – almost _pleaded_.

“Be careful” Nick replied, after a pause much longer than his standards. “You could make someone fall in love, if you use that honey-like voice.”

Suddenly aware of what gawky words had left her mouth, Judy burned up like a summer campfire. “No, I-I mean… it's really irritating that I can’t see you but you can perfectly see me. I’m sure there is a huge, sarcastic smile on your face right now, you slick.”

“Seven years’ cubs tell better lies, Hopps. And besides, before caring about my face, maybe you should worry about _yours_.”

“What’s wrong with my face?” Judy tried to sound peeved, but she was afraid of whatever expression she was actually showing to him.

The bunny couldn’t help but touch her cheeks, in a vain attempt to steal the warmth which was giving her away.

“Nothing” whispered Nick – he sounded even closer than before, to the point Judy believed she could actually feel his breath on her face. “It’s absolutely adorable, as always.”

The rabbit’s little heart made a jump and fell back into her chest with a painful thud. She opened the mouth, willing to say something which could sting the bubble of mortal embarrassment she has been incorporated in, but her throat had suddenly decided not to cooperate.

So, all that managed to come up to her lips was a meaningless gasp.

“You’re so cute, Carrots. I almost feel like _eating you_ , after all.”

“You’re so unfair, Nick” she eventually muttered, the world suddenly upside down. “You take advantage of the situation just because I can’t see you. It’s like talking to a ghost.”

… As if it had to be an answer to her complain, Judy found herself closed in a hug so sudden she almost startled.

“I’m here.” Nick poured a sweet flow of emotions straight into her ear. “Feeling better now?”

Her heart had stopped being a mere vital organ and decided to become a percussionist.

—A quite enthusiastic one, no less.

Judy implored whatever god was watching them from the Heavens to prevent Nick from noticing her excitement, but the odds that such a miracle could occur were _very_ close to zero.

Or zero at all.

“From one extreme to the other, huh…”

It was a mystery how he could make her feel so… _protected_ – it wasn’t just that though, but she arbitrary decided to not investigate into the matter further. It was, perhaps, the way his arms used to surround her slender figure; or maybe she found the height difference _comforting_ , in a way she couldn’t describe. Or maybe, _maybe_ it was his fox scent – what did foxes smell like, in the first place? – but Judy couldn’t really tell what the answer was… and it wasn’t like she cared to discover it, after all.

“Somebody here wants to cuddle” Nick joked, when she returned his embrace. “You know, Carrots: just ask next time.”

“Idiot.” Judy laughed, immersed in a state of deep and pleasant bliss. “Better hold on to you than to a rickety table.”


	12. Fox and Bunny ~ Sea of flattery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“What makes you say that?” Nick asked, not bothering to look at him._  
>  _“Maybe the fact that you’re literally_ drilling _this poor counter since an hour” he suggested, “or maybe because you have the face of someone who has just committed a murder, or is ready to commit one.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to post this chapter because I don't know when I'll be able to deliver another one. I'm having quite a bad time with my family right now, and my head is full of concerns. So, please, forgive me if there are mistake in this chapter and point them out, I'll fix them when I can. Thank you :)

“A little shot, Wilde?”

Nick shook his head for the fourth time that evening. “No, McHorn. Thanks anyway.”

The rhino slightly nodded and walked away, muttering an “as you wish” that _did_ sound like a mockery.

When the mammal reached the crowd of agents gathered in the reception room, Nick returned to tap his fingers on the bar.

Just a few meters from him, there was Judy’s tiny figure. Or, at least, she _should have been_. He didn’t know anymore, since his gigantic coworkers had surrounded the little bunny and, that way, prevented him from keeping an eye on her.

Amid the confusion and the revelry of that evening, a crystalline laughter rang out loud and clear. Nick would have recognized it anywhere.

‘ _At least she_ _’_ _s still alive_ ’ he thought, trying to console himself. ‘ _And having fun, maybe. Probably. Surely._ ’

That last thought had the bitter after-taste of unripe blueberries.

“A bit upset, Wilde?”

The question arose indiscreet just like the cat who had just spoken. Benjamin Clawhauser sat on the stool next to his – how it could support its weight was a mystery that Nick had no intention of revealing – all while loudly sipping a colorful drink that seemed unicorn vomit.

“What makes you say that?” Nick asked, not bothering to look at him.

“Maybe the fact that you’re literally _drilling_ this poor bar since an hour” he suggested, “or maybe because you have the face of someone who has just committed a murder, or is ready to commit one.”

“They’re all circumstantial evidences” said the fox, letting out an amused smile. “You’ve got to do better than that, if you want to frame me… _detective Clawhauser._ ”

The cheetah greedily sucked through the straw and shrugged. “I think you’ll end up with framing yourself, Wilde.”

The way he pronounced that sentence intrigued the fox, to the point that Nick thought it was worth to give his coworker at least a half-puzzled look. But, contrary to his expectations, Clawhauser was not looking at him; instead, the cat was observing a point over Nick’s shoulder with a stupid grin on his chubby face.

“They’re devouring her with their eyes” said the cheetah. “I wonder if it’ll remain enough of her, at the end of the evening.”

‘ _Enough for_ who _?_ ’ Nick was about to ask, but his mouth remained carefully shut. They were playing a game of subtle implications, where one single question could have meant the total defeat of one of the two factions.

The fox had to pay attention.

“They’re starting to appreciate her” said Nick, flatly, always being careful not to look in her direction. “She solved a kidnapping case within twenty-four hours, all alone; it must mean something, I suppose.

“Too bad you weren’t able to attend, huh?”

Again, Judy’s laugh rang in the hall. Nick resorted to all his good will in order to not look at her; he didn’t want to make his mood even worse. “She did good even without me.” He barely curbed the bitterness which was flowing into his words. “Hopps is a good cop.”

She really was; and it bothered him so much, that their coworkers seemed to have noticed her skills only now, just because she had solved a particularly delicate and complex case.

“Maybe you should tell her” offered Clawhauser, pulling on a sip of drink. “You’d make her happy.”

“Mh.” A low, gloomy growl rumbled inside his diaphragm and Nick swallowed it, along with the bile. “She already seems quite happy.”

Even without looking at it, her laughter kept trilling inside his ears, just like a silver bell.

“I can’t say you’re wrong.”

“Thank you, Clawhauser. This comment was _exactly_ what I needed.” The fox jumped off the stool, resigned to the inevitable. It was not like he could stay on the sidelines all evening; sooner or later, Judy would have come looking for him, so he had to be ready to welcome that dumb bunny between his arms and compliment her for her hard work.

Nick loosened his tie and proudly walked into that infernal Sabbath, searching for his favorite rabbit.

 

______

 

 “… and then? And then what happened?”

"Well, he… he stood tall in front of me, the little caribou tight under his left arm, while the other paw was holding a kitchen knife.” Judy gestured dramatically, in a clunky attempt to give his colleagues an idea of the scene that she had found herself living.

But she wasn’t so sure they could see her gestures, from their height.

“Yes, of course” Bogo approved. “The bear did not expect to be found out so soon, so he became violent and stupid.”

“You got that right, Judy!” claimed Francine, waving his long trunk. “What happened next?”

“I’d got no time to think” Judy admitted, “so I jumped and hit his right paw, the one that was holding the knife. I managed to disarm him, but if I had missed his arm…”

Wolfard applauded. “A work by the book.”

Judy gave a half smile and scratched her head, trying to hide the embarrassment caused by that unexpected avalanche of attention.

She was a really absurd situation. She just had done her job as a police officer, nothing more and nothing less than that; why was everyone looking at her as if that was the first time they _actually_ saw her?

Not knowing if she had to feel flattered or uncomfortable, Judy tried to step back a little. “Excuse me, um… I’ll go getting some drink…”

No time to say that words that Trunkaby had already run to the cafeteria shouting a way too enthusiastic: “Leave it to me!” But, just moments later, Judy heard an annoyed voice externalizing its grievances. “Be careful with those paws, Francine!”

Judy’s ears suddenly raised and she found herself smiling without even realizing it. That voice… she would have recognized it anywhere.

“Sorry, Wilde! I didn’t see you…”

“I’d have never guessed” said the fox. “I wonder how many mammals you have sent to the Creator just because ‘you didn’t see them’.”

Francine bowed his head, mortified, and muttered something inaudible before resuming its march toward the bar.

“Nick!” As soon as he fully entered into her view, Jusy almost jumped on him. “Where have you been?”

The partners smiled amiably. "I was having an interesting conversation with Clawhauser about the Kenya’s wildlife, officer Hopps.”

The lively green glow in his eyes suggested that at least half of that sentence was a blatant lie, but Judy didn’t want to wonder which part it was.

“Anyway” he resumed, this time addressing all the other surrounding mammals, “please excuse us, lovable fellow, but I and Hopps have an urgent matter to deal with. Nothing serious, we’ll be back in a few minutes.”

She frowned. Nick winked at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Excuse me, madam, this way please.”

“But” she weakly protested, “Francine went to get something to drink…”

“This means that Francine will drink an _extra drink_ ” Nick answered as he gently pushed her out of the circle that the police force had formed around her. “Or, perhaps, would you like me to let you drown in this sea of flattery?”

Those words, whispered a breath away from her ear, made her shiver. Judy threw him a fleeting glance and muttered a “take me away from here” that tasted like despair in her mouth.


	13. Fox ~ Kiss (12➝)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Nick froze, his heart suddenly filled with something which tasted like honey and gall at the same time. It was painful… yet stunning, because he couldn’t help but love the way Judy used to talk to him; that way full of complicity, intimacy and a million of other, nameless things which managed to drive him crazy nonetheless. The only answer, the only possible answer to her sweetness was…_ was _…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm late. I'm always late because I'm always lazy, but I always love you. <3

“Nick, I’d like to receive an honest answer from you.”

“To what?”

Nick was staring at the night lights of Zootopia. Since he didn’t turn to her, Judy couldn’t have seen the expression on his face. Still, the fox had the feeling that those little amethysts of hers had the power to fathom the depths of his soul and bring forth thoughts that he’d rather keep hidden in his heart.

“You’ve been nowhere to be seen all evening” she began. “I barely managed to say hello before you disappeared who knows where, doing who knows what.”

Nick could perceive a note of sincere concern in her voice, even if he was gazing elsewhere. Judy was not angry, but confused. Maybe sad, too, but certainly not as much as he was.

“Sorry” he found himself saying, as if those words had waited all evening to come out of his mouth.

After a few moments of silence, she asked: “Why are you apologizing?”

“For leaving you alone.” And yet, he dared not look at her.

“No, hum… well, it’s not a big deal after all…” Nick heard her, _felt_ her being crushed under the weight of the atmosphere he had created; an atmosphere so different from the one that had surrounded them only a few minutes before, to the point that Nick felt guilty for having ruined it with his paranoia.

Judy exhaled a deep sigh. “I’m not angry, Nick. I was just…”

“No, no, you’re right” he insisted. “It was really unfair of me to leave you.” Nick turned his head slightly, pretending to want to watch the lights of the Rain Forest district, while there actually was just one thing he wanted to watch… and it was small, gray and absolutely adorable.

“Don’t be tragic now.” Judy moved towards him and Nick abruptly turned to the other side of the panorama. “I was afraid something had happened, just that.” In a blink of an eye she was right next to him, a paw firmly put on his arm.

Nick immediately recognized that feeling of discomfort; it was that kind of situation where he had to burst the bubble of gloomy atmosphere before it became too heavy and oppressive… but he didn’t know how to do that. It was not like he could just shake her off; before he met Judy, he would have done it regardless of the situation. It was a form of protection against intruders who came, presuming to know him – to _understand_ him! – trying to break down the barriers he had built around himself with effort and dedication.

But this time… it was different. _Everything_ was different: the place, the situation… and, most of all, the so-called intruder.

Nick couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “Even in your moment of glory, you always find the time and the desire to care about others.”

“ _Glory_ , you said?” she spoke as if the very idea was completely ridiculous. “They decided I am a hero just because I saved Mr. Caribous’ son, but what they really care about is the donation he made to the ZPD.”

“Don’t go overboard, Carrots” Nick replied. “Bogo sure will be very happy to renovate his office, but I think that no one will call into question your skills again.”

Nick remembered the mood of just a few minutes before: sitting on the sidelines, like a poor fool, watching Judy from afar without daring to approach her, mentally cursing the mob of agents surrounding her… he had been such an idiot, oh boy, such a stupid, dreary–

Judy made a little squeal of delight and scratched her nose, causing him to completely forget whatever gloomy thought he was having. “You know, Nick, this case was different from the others. I didn’t have… fun.”

 _Fun_. He repeated the word in his mind, trying to place it in a context that could make sense, but he failed and tilted his head a little. “Fighting crime is not supposed to be funny, Carrots.”

“I know that.” Judy let out a deep breath. “I'm just… you know, well. I’m not used to working without you. I missed you, in those 24 hours. I… quite missed you.”

A lightning of emotions fell from the sky above their head and hit him on the spot. Nick pulled back the ears. “Hum… I…” he mumbled, his brain furiously processing what Judy had just said.

Judy pulled her paw, which had touched his arm until then, behind her back, embarrassed. “No, I-I didn’t mean…!”

A mortal awkwardness descended on the two mammals. Nick turned to his partner to observe her reaction… and realized with horror that she had done the same.

They looked at each other for a moment, and then Nick carefully returned to stare at the illuminated city, without really seeing it.

“Thank… thank you for the thought, Carrots. I really appreciate it.”

It was hard to stay cool under the merciless blows of his heartbeat, which seemed to be about to crash his rib cage. Despite this, Nick _had to_ stay cool. He absolutely had to.

“Don’t thank me” replied Judy, in a voice so low it almost felt like she was confiding him a secret. “Actually, I feel the need to apologize. You had got a flu, and I couldn’t take care of you because of this unexpected case…”

Nick wondered if that bunny, the one who was standing next to him, blabbing pure nonsense, had a vague whiff of what her words were making him feel. “You don’t have to take care of me. I’m an adult, I can perfectly–”

“I don’t have to, indeed” she interrupted him, and curled her lips. “I _want_ to take care of you, Nick.”

Nick froze, his heart suddenly filled with something which tasted like honey and gall at the same time. It was painful… yet stunning, because he couldn’t help but _love_ the way Judy talked to him; a way so full of complicity, intimacy and a million of other, nameless things which managed to drive him crazy. The only answer, the only possible answer to her sweetness was… _was_ …

“You’ll be the death of me.” He smiled, from the bottom of his heart. “You’re a threat to my sanity, Carrots.”

Judy got closer to him, worried. “Did I… say something weird?”

‘ _How can you be so perfect?_ ’ he idly wondered as he bended down to her. He felt the urge to manifest the warmth inside his heart. He just… he just… “Nothing weirder than usual” Nick said softly, and before even one of his neurons could have a change of heart… he gave her a kiss on the forehead.

 

They stayed that way, facing each other, for a moment that seemed to last an eternity. Nick wanted to take her in his arms and cuddle that little, trembling body, but he couldn’t move. He _dared_ not move.

“Nick…” Judy’s voice, small and uncertain, was the first to speak. “What, uh… what is this for?”

The fox broke away from her, just enough so he could look at her face. The sight of her pink and twitching nose was enough to make an amused smile flash on his face. “Consider it a reward for having brilliantly solved the case, officer Hopps.” He gently stroked her long ears. “I’m really proud of you… Judy.”

She literally melted before him. Her big, purple eyes widened and she threw her arms around his neck, burying the face in his shirt so passionately Nick’s heart skipped a beat – and maybe more than just one.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid Nick” she murmured against his chest. “You, _you_ will be the death of me…”

Nick put his arms around her waist and returned her grip. He felt so good that he could have died right then and there… and he couldn’t have cared less. “A cute bunny, throwing herself in my arms, unheeding of the fact that I could eat her. Unbelievable!”

Judy laughed softly and slightly raised the head. “Do you want to _eat_ me, Nick?”

The question alarmingly sounded like an invitation in his hot, itchy ears. But it couldn’t be that, it didn’t make sense; Nick forced himself to not get his hopes up before shrugging his shoulders and saying, in the most casual tone he was capable of in that juncture: “I would never devour you without your consent, bunny.”

He was expecting a laugh in response, or an amused comment, or a sign which could reassure Nick that yes, he had misunderstood her question and no, she didn’t want him to actually eat her or whatever his brain was suggesting him to do with her… but, contrary to his expectations, Judy didn’t say anything. She just looked at him straight in the eye, her small paws slowly going up his shirt and then resting on his cheeks.

“What if…” Judy lowered the ears, which gently fell on her shoulders. “What if… I gave you my consent?”

Nick froze, wondering if he had suddenly started to hear things, but her gaze on him suggested it wasn’t yet another delusion; no, this time it was all true… and it was frightfully _beautiful_.

“Well, in that case I suppose…” Nick raised a paw from the embrace and went to touch her face to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. “… I might consider your offer.”

Their snouts were close, too close for him to contain his feelings, to pretend he didn’t desperately want to kiss her, to act like he wasn’t hungry for her and he wasn’t dying to cuddle her, lick her, _eat_ her.

Just a step away from their lips to make contact. And then, only heaven knew what would have happened.

“Oh, that’s where you were! I’ve been looking… all over… hum…” The bubble they were magically floating in suddenly shattered. Nick and Judy startled and turned to the balcony’s entrance at the same time.

In front of them, just a few meters away, stayed the corpulent figure of Benjamin Clawhauser, whose face betrayed the sudden, miserable discomfort that he had just assaulted him.

Nick took a deep breath and straightened his back. “What’s up _now_.”

And it wasn’t even meant to be a question.

Judy, who had jumped at least half a meter back because of the surprise, was intensely staring at her feet as if she was having a mental conversation with them.

“C-chief Bogo sent me” the cheetah stammered, white as a sheet. “He said he wanted to make a toast to Hopps because…”

Nick spewed a litany of silent insults addressed to the entire police force, infusing special emphasis to those against his direct superior. “Thank you, Ben, we’ll rejoin soon.”

Clawhauser quickly nodded and disappeared, a sudden silence filling the void he had left.

“Maybe we should go” Judy timidly suggested, peeking him with those big, purple eyes of hers, always so big, always so purple, always so _unfair_.

“Yeah” Nick said, without bothering to hide his dejection. “We’d better…”

… It all happened in an instant.

Judy jumped in front of him and grabbed his tie with an almost feline sprint. Then, she pulled him close to her and whispered: “Thank you” right in his ear, hot in his ear, almost _sultry_ in his biased ear. He was so messed up, for God's sake, so messed up he could barely–

And then… after a brief moment of hesitation… Judy left a tender kiss on the tip of his nose and immediately ran inside the building, so hurriedly that Nick didn’t have time to say, do or think anything, with the only thing left being the furious pumping of his heart.


	14. Bunny ~ Pendulum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It was amazing how he always managed to bring out sides of her personality Judy was barely aware to have; amazing how he was always able to ignite in her that strange desire to… just be with him, regardless of the world around them. And, oh boy, that idea was so sweet… and so utopian, just like the city they served and protected. And Judy couldn’t believe in it, shouldn’t believe in it._
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> _Yet… sometimes, she did._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M LAAAAAAATE  
> AS USUAAAAAAL  
> *classic music starts playing in the background*

“You know what? I don’t think this is a good idea.”

 “Of course it is” Judy said. “We need Illumination.”

Nick shook his head. “I’ll tell you something, Carrots: when someone says it’s not a good idea, he usually means that it’s a _bad_ idea. Get down from there, please.”

“Nope.” Judy turned slowly to look at him from the top of her five – and _acquired_ – metres. “It is not the first time I change a light bulb, Nick.”

The fox rolled his eyes. “That’s not the point…”

“And what is it, then?” the bunny asked as she returned to focus on the crucial operation she was about to accomplish.

“That the ladder you are on is as old as the world” he said. “The more I look at it, the more I feel like it’s going to collapse.”

As if it wanted to agree with Nick, the ladder wobbled slightly. Judy, perched on top, let out a startled yelp.

“What did I tell you, Carrots?”

“I-I’m fine” she said, when the vibration stopped. “I can do it.”

Nick who, in the meantime, had approached the base of the ladder, chuckled in amusement. “ _Who_ exactly were you encouraging?”  

“Oh, shut up.” Judy extended an arm towards the bulb. “I’m not a kid, and you’re not my father anyway.”

Nick shrugged. “I’m not planning to parent you, indeed. If anything, I could be your…”

Almost without realizing it, Judy had raised one ear to listen more carefully. The sentence floated in the silent office, eloquent in its incompleteness, and the rabbit couldn’t help but wonder if he was deliberately hesitating to complete it or if Nick was, for some reasons, _scared_ to do it.

But, in the end, the answer to those questions came; and although Judy didn’t know which answer she was expecting… she _did_ know that was not the correct one.

“… Brother.” Time returned to flow when those words left his mouth. Nick smiled, but Judy could feel a vague emptiness in the way he was curling his lips, as if something was missing; something important that had to be right here, but it simply wasn’t.

‘ _It_ _’_ _s so frustrating_ ’ she thought, but she didn’t know what was frustrating. Possibly, everything. And being an impatient rabbit – like she was – just complicated the matter even more… but she chose not to voice none of those thoughts. An unknown, yet so familiar, fear drowned them into an uncomfortable silence and Judy just muttered: “I don’t think so” with a sigh of resignation as deep as the silence vibrating in her mind, louder than a scream.

“You’re so rough, Carrots” he cordially replied, his tone betraying the omnipresent desire to make fun of her.

“No I’m not” Judy said, “it’s just you being unbearable as usual. And hold this thing” she added, pointing to the base of the ladder, “because it keeps wobbling like there’s no tomorrow.”

Nick snorted and did what he was told. “Like I said, why don’t you just come down from here?”

“Because” she started, as if she was talking to a puppy hard on the uptake, “if I don’t change this light bulb within an hour, candles will eventually illuminate our office.”

“We can always go home when it’s too dark to work.”

The sentence sounded like the most obvious idea in the world. And maybe it really was, but she argued nonetheless: “Nick, do you know how many dossiers we still have to check in order to write that report? We can’t leave without finishing the work, and time is running out.” ‘ _Because of you who spend your days twiddling your thumbs_ ’ – but she kept the last part for herself.

“Let’s finish the work somewhere else, then…” Nick grinned. “We could go to Mr. Jambeaux, I’m sure he’ll be happy to see us.”

“You know, I don’t…” Judy stopped and perked up her ears. It wouldn’t happen to be… “Wait: are you… _asking me_ out?”

His grin became less confident, but it didn’t disappear. Nick shrugged with the air of one who had just been caught red-handed. “I suppose that… you could put it this way.”

“ _Oh._ ” Judy smirked, amused. “So _brave_ , officer Wilde.”

“You shouldn’t be so snarky, Carrots.” Nick frowned to express his unhappiness. “Not when I am the only thing standing between you and the floor.”

She chuckled. “What is this veiled threat? You could at least wait until I put you in the _friendzone_ , before going the hard way.”

“As they say: better safe than sorry.”

The staircase suddenly trembled; Judy lost her balance and crumpled, frightened, on the top step. “ _Nick!_ ”

“See? Ladders are _dangerous_.”

“No, _you_ are dangerous!” Judy pointed him, accusingly. “A filthy _criminal_ ” she hissed.

“I _was_ a criminal” he corrected her. “Now I proudly stand in defense of the city and, in my spare time, I take pleasure from teasing you.”

“I’m trying to work for us, Nick, but all you do is _sabotage_ my efforts.”

“Madame!” The consummate actor dwelling in him began to decant the first bars of his script. “Your insinuations deeply hurt me.”

“These are not insinuations but _facts_ , you slick. Stop pret–” Then he laughed, and Judy forgot how to make words.

He rarely laughed; smiling like he was constantly surrounded by poor idiots, that was his usual way to show amusement. She wasn’t _prepared_ to hear him laugh. She wasn’t _vaccinated_. She wasn’t–

“Come here, darling, our Jumbo Pop is waiting. You don’t want to make it sad, do you?

Judy sighed. “Nick…”

It was amazing how he always managed to bring out sides of her personality Judy was barely aware to have; amazing how he was always able to ignite in her that strange desire to… _just be with him_ , regardless of the world around them. And, oh boy, that idea was so sweet… and so utopian, just like the city they served and protected. And Judy couldn’t believe in it, _shouldn_ _’_ _t_ believe in it.

Yet… sometimes, she did.

“The only answer I want to hear is: ‘ _Yes, let_ _’_ _s go_ ’.” Nick offered her a paw. “I might even consider the possibility of treating you.”

“But not the possibility to let me change a light bulb, uh?”

He looked _so_ proud of himself. “Precisely.”

Judy pondered for a bit. In the end, there was no point in her childish pretending that Nick couldn’t see things about her that even Judy herself failed to note; pretending that he didn’t make her feel in a way that couldn’t be put into words; pretending that their relationship wasn’t constantly balancing – just like her, on the top of that prehistoric ladder – between a solid friendship and something more that tasted like joy and fulfillment in a way so genuine it was almost shameful.

Judy smiled. “I hope your wallet is full” she said, “because I’ll reduce you to poverty, Nick.”

“Your stomach is not what bothers me, Carrots.”

“Then what?” Judy started to descend the ladder. “Maybe my zeal, which probably appears so obscure to you?”

“No” Nick replied, calmly. “To be honest, Judy, the step you are about to put your foot on looks a bit… _unstable_.”

“Wha-?” It happened so quickly she didn’t even have the time to process his comment; the floor was suddenly approaching at great speed, and it seemed to not be particularly soft. Judy shut her eyes and prepared herself to the impact. 

 

… It hurt her less than expected.

She lifted her eyes a bit; a reddish figure was standing just above her head. “Being a cop wasn’t enough, now you also want to become a bird.”

She lost her breath for a moment. Nick was there, just a few centimeters from her face, looking at her with a stupid, amused expression on his face. “I…” she forced herself to say – if she had remained silent, air would have stopped flowing in her lungs – “I fell on you…?”

“I think that ‘a gift from the heavens’ sounds more poetic” he giggled. “You dumb and cute fur ball.”

The bunny suddenly realized that the pair of legs which was supporting her clearly wasn’t hers. ‘ _I want to die right there, right now._ ’ “I-I’m sorry” she stammered, full of embarrassment. “Did I… hurt you?”

“ _Hurt?_ ” Nick gave her a puzzled look. “How could you hurt me? I daresay that having a bunny in my arms is somehow _comforting_.” Nick drew her closer to his chest, smiling as if he was the most satisfied mammal on earth.

His being totally oblivious to the consequences that his presence had on her was simply outrageous, almost as much as the way she was lulled, happy and contented.

For Judy, who had spent her life chasing a dream… being so blissed with so little was nothing but a mystery; she felt like a pendulum, constantly swinging between a solid friendship and something warmer, sweeter which was always able to steal some of her many, fast heartbeats when she happened to be closer to it.

“Hey” Judy murmured, hiding her smile in his shirt, “I’m not a plush, you know. Just a dumb bunny.”

“Are you _just_ that?” Nick slowly caressed her head. “Well, since you’re enough for me… go ahead, Carrots, and be just a dumb bunny for the rest of your life. It’s not like I’m going to complain.”

‘ _Me neither_ ’ she thought, pushing the face deeper in his chest. ‘ _Me neither._ ’


	15. Bunny ~ Drunk (I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Shut your muzzle” Judy scolded him. “What did possess you to drink all that wine, Nick?”_  
>  And why did the other cops let him drink all that wine in the first place? Did they forget that Nick was one tenth of their size? For heaven’s sake, he was so drunk that he’d have took Finnick for a panther.  
> He shrugged. “Foxes like grapes, so foxes like wine.”  
> “Sure, foxes like wine… and then it’s up to bunnies to prevent these foxes from drowning their head in the cabinet.”  
> “Because bunnies care about foxes.” An idiotic smile was painted on his face. “And foxes care about bunnies. I care about my Carrots.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I divided the chapter in two part because it really is too long... gosh D:

“Ca-rro-tsss.” Nick spelled her name and laughed, as he staggered toward her with an unsteady gait. “You know, there are two Carrots right now.”

“Really?” Judy said, shaking her head with a gesture of annoyance. “And what are they doing?”

Nick stopped his wacky walk. “Let’s see…” he narrowed his eyes and touched his chin with a paw, as if he was about to deduce the solution to a difficult puzzle. But soon, that position proved unstable and the fox began to waver on the spot.

Judy sighed and put her phone in the pocket. “Apparently, taxies went on strike tonight. _Great_ ” she hissed.

“No taxi” repeated Nick, barely avoiding to fall on the ground. “No happiness for Carrots.”

“Shut your muzzle” Judy scolded him. “What did possess you to drink all the wine, Nick?”

And why did the other cops _let_ him drink all that wine in the first place? Did they forget that Nick was one tenth of their size? For heaven’s sake, he was so drunk that he’d have took Finnick for a panther.

He shrugged. “Foxes like grapes, so foxes like wine.”

“Sure, foxes like wine… and then it’s up to bunnies to prevent these foxes from drowning their head in the cabinet.”

“Because bunnies care about foxes.” An idiotic smile was painted on his face. “And foxes care about bunnies. I care about my Carrots.”

“ _Yours_? And since when I would be yours, officer Wilde?”

Nick opened his mouth to answer, but the sound had a hard time coming out, as if it had lost its way home.

"Ssssince… always” he finally managed to say, frowning because of the effort to pull the words out.

“Oh, yes, for sure. Did you ask my opinion before considering me your own property?”

The fox growled his clear disapproval. “You’re making fun of me. Bad, bad Carrots.”

“Of course, you’re drunk” said Judy, smiling in front of that ridiculous pouting. “And if you’re not reliable when sober, imagine how much weight your words have now.”

“They have”. Nick raised a paw by way of caveat. It swung like a raft at the mercy of the waves and soon fell back along his side; the fox tilted his head slightly – just like wolves do, Judy thought – probably wondering why his arm hadn’t been able to stand straight, or if that was indeed his arm and not the limb of someone else, or perhaps not questioning about anything, just letting himself sink into his tipsy state.

“Come on, Nick, I’ll take you home.” Judy casted a quick glance at the clock on the office wall. “It's just 8:00 pm, there shouldn’t be… _hey_!”

But it was clear that Nick had no intention of returning home.

“Mine” he whispered, surrounding her with both arms. “I won’t let you go, my bunny.”

Judy was paralyzed, unable to take adequate countermeasures against that sudden assault. Because, it was one thing to face Nick Wilde with him being in fully possession of all his mental faculties… but it was another thing to hold off a drunken and _terribly tender_ fox.

“Nick…” she murmured, “You stink of wine.”

“And you smell like bunny” said the partner, as if the major matter was determining who smelled like what. “Such a good, gooood smell…”

His nose gently stroked her bare neck. Judy closed her eyes, trembling, trying to calm the tachycardia that was dangerously shortening her life. If she hadn’t put a stop to that situation, Judy was certain she would have died before midnight.

“Nick, I can give you at least three good reasons why you shouldn’t do what you are _precisely_ doing” she said, reluctantly moving him away from her. The fox lurched, stumbled in his tail and eventually struck against chief Bogo’s desk.

"Ow!" Exclaimed Nick, when the cup that Bogo used like a pencil-holder fell on his foot. “This stupid–”

“Don’t call _stupid_ a cup, it has more right to be there than us.” Indeed, that was the last place she ever thought to shut herself in. “We can’t stay in Bogo’s office, do you understand that?”

Unfortunately, at that time, Nick was prepared to understand as much as it would have been Clawhauser to go on a diet.

“I don’t” he simply said, giving her a carefree smile. “I like this office.”

“Is that why you crawled here like a miserable worm?” Judy thought for a moment of how she had found him, lying on his stomach and attempting to sing some old hymns in a language that even the gods had forgotten, and she felt a powerful discouragement flowing through her veins as powerful as a waterfall.

Nick made a face that presumably wanted to express disappointment. “I was… looking for you, silly Carrots. I had to… uh, yeah, I had to tell you something very… importart.”

“You don’t say?” Judy covered her mouth with one paw. “I wonder what compelling urgency prompted you to search me in this office.”

Although he was completely drunk, Nick seemed to grasp the fact he was being mocked, and his expression became even more unhappy. “I’ll punish you” he threatened, before jumping towards her.

Judy winced and moved to the side, just in time to escape his awkward assault. Nick closed his arms around the ether, lost his already precarious balance and fell to the ground with a thud.

“I’ll take you home” she announced, sadly shaking her head. “You’re as drunk as a sponge, Nick.”

He muttered something to the floor and slowly rolled on his back. “You are cruel, Carrots. Why did you dodge my _ethyl_ advances?”

“Precisely because they were ethyl. If only you flirted sober…”

Judy paused, while the words that had just came out of her mouth began to turn around the room, filling the gap between them with a deafening echo.

‘ _I didn_ _’_ _t really say it_ ’, she told herself. ‘ _I didn_ _’_ _t really say it, I didn_ _’_ _t really say it, I didn_ _’_ _t_ _–_ ”

But, judging by how Nick was looking at her… she _definitely_ had said it.

Nick sat on the floor. “Carrots” he muttered, “come here.”

Judy stiffened when she saw his arms opening in her direction. “No.”

“Come. Here” he insisted, with a voice that she distinctly perceived like honey dripping straight into her ears. “I have no evil intentions, I swear.”

“Liar.” Judy crossed her arms. She pretended to express indignation, maybe anger, but all she actually wanted was to prevent her heart from escaping the rib cage.

Nick laughed – he was _so_ drunk, for heaven’s sake – and made his thumb and index finger almost touch. “Just a _lil-little_.”

He was drunk, sure he was, but he also was so damn cute that Judy couldn’t help but smile at him. The fox was so different from his usual self… and so himself at the same time; it was nonsensical.

“Come on, Casanova, let’s go home.”

“I’m already home” Nick mumbled.

“Which part of Bogo’s office is your home, exactly?”

“Not his office… dumb bunny.” He scratched his neck as he averted her gaze. “… It’s you. You are my home, Carrots.”

Judy’s heart skipped a beat. He was unfair, _unfairly unfair_ to the point she wanted to punch him, slapped him, bite him–

… Or maybe not.

“Nick, you don’t know what you’re saying…” Judy buried the face in her paws. She felt it hot, as if she had a fever, and it was all his fault. How could he stand there, sitting on the ground like an idiot, staring at her with _those_ eyes – illegal in at least twenty countries of the world – and saying stuff like that?

“Madame, you hurt me.” The fox put an unsteady paw over his heart. “I may be drunk, but I know what I’m saying.”

“You can’t even stand on your feet.”

“I _chose_ to not stand on my feet” he pointed out, and spread his arms again. “Come here, my bunny.”

At every _come here_ he rattled out, Judy was a bit less determined to resist him and a little more inclined to indulge him.

And that was not good, not good at all.

“Why?” She asked, trying to buy time in order to think of a way to take him out of the central passing unnoticed. “What do you want?”

Nick chuckled, as if that subtle accusation amused him, and began to wiggle. “To cuddle you. What else?”

‘ _To cuddle me._ ’ Nick Wilde, sitting drunk on the floor of Bogo’s office, grinning like a dement… wanted to cuddle her. The ridicule of that situation was reaching peaks so high they could barely be seen. It was all so absurd that for a moment Judy thought to be drunk with him; or, perhaps she was the only drunk here and that was just a hallucination – a fine one, no doubt, but still just a hallucination.

Therefore, in the light of those considerations, she wasn’t so surprised when she saw her own body moving closer to Nick, neither when she bent to his height so that she could look straight into his eyes.

The surprise, however, slowly began to grow in her when Judy grabbed Nick’s tie and pulled him closer to her snout.

“Careful about your wishes” she whispered. “I could always decide to make them true.”

After a few moments of confusion, Nick returned her provocative smile and then, just when the dream seemed about to shatter in a countless number of shameful fragments, the fox placed both paws on her hips and pulled her even closer to him.

Judy winced, suddenly aware, and her first coherent thought was a not-so-calm ‘ _I have to escape_ ’. Yet… the fact that Nick was wearing the uniform – and he was _really_ good in it –  touching her hips, gazing at her with that slightly blurred look which was burning her fur nonetheless, his lips curled up, so close she could feel his breath on her face… she found herself thinking that Nick was very, very… _attractive_.

“You fell into my trap” Nick said, touching her nose with his. “My sweet, dumb bunny.”

She had no way of escape; she was still holding him by the tie – the madness of the moment didn’t disappear yet – and Nick… he was still holding her with a possessiveness which resembled savageness.

Judy did know she was about to die, but failed to acknowledge the exact reason why the Grim Reaper was stalking towards her: embarrassment? Cardiac arrest? _Both_? However, she would have died within a few hours, no doubt about that.

“Nick, someone could walk in here at any moment…” ‘ _That_ _’_ _s not the point, dumb Judy!_ ’

“That’s not my problem.” The fox caressed her back with a paw, which slowly arrived just behind her neck. “I’m drunk and irresponsible.”

Judy tried to say a considered “I’m pretty sure that things don't work like t–” but Nick’s  lips forcefully shushed her before another sound could escape her mouth.

The words she wanted to say remained in her throat and miserably evaporated like snow in the sun. Her mind became completely white; all thoughts were gone, just like the rest of the sentence that she would have never had the opportunity to conclude.

Instinctively, Judy tightened her grip on the tie. She felt light, so light that almost feared that her body would have risen in the air and flight away at the mercy of the currents.

When their lips parted, Nick glanced at her. “Do you… think that I’ll have memory of this, tomorrow?”

“I… don’t think so…” she stammered, barely controlling her voice. Her heart was beating so loud it was the only thing she could hear.

The fox ran a paw over his eyes and rubbed them though. “You’ll have to wait then, Carrots.”

Judy cocked her head. “What… what should I wait?”

“For me to kiss you sober” said Nick; a half smile came over his face. “I’ll find that courage, sooner or later. I promise.”

“Y-you…” Judy’s voice died in her throat and a miserable sigh was the only thing that managed to escape her lips.

“Hu.” The fox approached his muzzle to her face and stared intently. Then, without warning… he _licked_ her cheek.

“N-N-Nick!” Judy squealed as blood flowed all over her face. “What are you doing?!”

“I taste you” he said, with disarming simplicity. “And you taste good, Carrots. So, so, so good…”

“No, wait… _Nick_!”

But he didn’t wait; Nick licked her cheek again, then climbed to the base of her ears and then slowly descended towards the neck, pouncing on the collarbone.

Judy invoked all her good will to not moan. “N-Nick, please, don’t… ah–”

 She shouldn’t have been surprised, after all. Death was approaching, Judy already saw it; just a matter of time, nothing but a matter of…

“Judy.” His murmur diverted her from those thoughts. “Judy…” he repeated, he _breathed_ in her ears.

He was so unfair. “Don’t say my name in… a time like this.”

The mere fact that he had called Judy by her name was enough to disintegrate much of the last glimmers of wit to which she was miserably trying to hold on. If, after that, he had also added other _things_ – and only God knew what Nick would have done to her – Judy would definitely have fallen into the dark abyss called Perdition, where there were no rules and no common sense.

“Little, little Judy” Nick hummed, as if that was the beginning of a nursery rhyme. “My, my Judy…” He gently pushed Judy to the floor and stood upon her. The bunny gazed at herself in those emeralds, fogged by alcohol and yet so passionate, and saw a creature even smaller and helpless than the one she remembered.

That vision triggered something: her intellect, which eventually proved itself alive, spoke to her: ‘ _Don_ _’_ _t make him do that, Judy. Stop him, stop him!_ ’

“I want you.” Nick, unaware of her internal conflict, leaned over her even more. “I want you, I want you, I want you so much…”

‘ _And I want you too_ ’ Judy was about to reply, but she somehow managed to not voice that desire. If those words had left her mouth… there would have been no turning back anymore. And that was not the right time neither the right place.

“Nick, you’re drunk.” That sentence hurt her more than expected and Judy felt tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “Your inhibitors are dead, drowned in all the wine you drank. The real Nick would have never kissed me… l-licked me and… would have never done this sort of…”

The fox laughed and kissed her again, putting an end to her miserable grievances. “I can’t stop myself” he murmured. “You’re so beautiful and… I am so in love… I can’t…”  He kept leaving kisses all over her face. “Stopping this is… up to you, bunny.”

“Don’t… pass me the buck, you stupid–” Nick’s tongue started to lap the perimeter of her neck and Judy lost her breath. “N-Nick…”

“Don’t you like this?” he asked, still licking her fur. “Don’t… you like _me_?”

‘ _Saying that I_ like _you would be an understatement_ _…_ ’ Judy bit her lower lip and said: “Tomorrow you won’t remember none of the things you’re doing to me…”

Judy was confused; a part of her was suffering because of that last thought… but another one, which she didn’t even think to have, just wanted _more_ : she wanted Nick to kiss her more, lick her more, touch her more, everywhere, forever.

… Just a third part of her – the smallest, the weakest – was vaguely aware that there had to be at least one good reason to put make him stop; but that reason was far away, too far away for her to reach it.

‘… _“_ _Hey, Francine, go easy on that bottle!_ _”_ ’

Or maybe… it was actually _very close_.

‘… _“_ _But chief, it_ _’_ _s my birthday! If you don_ _’_ _t let me drink at least today_ _…”_ ’

_“_ _Do I need to remind you what happened the last time you got drunk? In fact, why don_ _’_ _t we just ask Wolford? I_ _’_ _m sure he remembers it quite well._ _”_

“Holy turnip” Judy hissed, her body suddenly as rigid as an ironing board. “Holy, holy, _holy_ turnip!”

Even Nick, although he was still knee-deep in his wild trance, realized that something was wrong. “I heard some voices…”

“Yes” she confirmed, “The Grim Reaper is here, coming to claim my soul.”

‘… _“_ _Like I said, chief, it was an accident. It_ _’_ _s not my fault Wolford_ _’_ _s tail is so long!_ _”_ ’

‘ _“_ _But it_ _’_ _s yours if you get drunk without restraint. And speaking of getting drunk ... where the hell did Wilde go?_ _”_ ’

“Oh… _no_.”

“Are they looking for me?” Nick laughed, as if he found the situation extremely delectable. “I’m famous.”

“You’re dumb, not famous.” Judy tried to get away from him, but the partner didn’t seem particularly cooperative. “Get up, Nick! There are Francine and Bogo out there!”

At that moment, Nick's eyes filled with an emotion that resembled sadness. “Time… is running out, yes?”

And there was something, in his voice, that broke her heart more than the thought that Nick had kissed her just because he was drunk. Judy stroked his cheek without thinking, as if that gesture could erase the pain on his face.

“It is” said the rabbit. "See what happens when you rely on magic, _Foxerella_?”

Nick didn’t answer, but Judy could hear a faint growl coming from his throat. She laughed a bit. “I won’t go soft on you just because you now act like a puppy.”

‘… _“_ _Come to think of it, Hopps too has been nowhere to be seen for at least an hour. Where did she go?_ _”_ ’

‘ _“_ _They’re probably hiding somewhere to do something_ _…”_ ’

Nick, as if his ruminations had finally come to an end, spoke uncertainly: “… I’ll try.”

“First of all, why don’t you try to get up?” she asked, trying to push him away. “If those two enter here _now_ …”

“I’m serious, Carrots. I’ll tell you it… without the help of fairy godmother.”

“Such an unconventional fairy, if her spells consist of a colossal bender.”

Nick glared at her in a way that made her shiver. “I’m almost in my two minutes of lucidity before total alcohol coma, so don’t tease me too much.”

Judy held her breath. “Nick…? Is… is that you?”

The fox smiled contemptuously – he really looked like _her_ Nick, with the ever-present grin he reserved to a world unworthy to compete with his brilliant intellect; this awareness slowly crept inside her and violently exploded along with all of its implications.

“I’m _always_ myself.” Nick slowly tried to stand up, but he immediately sat down when he realized that he could not stand on his own feet. “The things I’ve said… and done, Judy… they are…”

‘ _No_ ’ she thought, ‘ _Don_ _’_ _t give me that, don_ _’_ _t give me that_ _…_ ’ Immersed in that silent prayer, she only saw his mouth moving without grasping a single word.

… Even if her ears dind’t hear him, though, her heart certainly did, because Judy felt an indescribable feeling growing in her chest. “What did you just say, Nick…?”

The door burst open and a well-known buffalo appeared on the office door.

Judy dimly wondered if she could die by biting her own tongue. Maybe it was worth a try, just in case.

“You _there_?” Bogo looked at Judy, then looked at Nick, then looked back at her with an expression that the rabbit wouldn’t have forgotten for at least, well, the rest of her life.

—Which wasn’t supposed to last long anyway.

“Chief” she gasped, “I have a very good explanation for this.”

If his eyes had had the power of incinerate, Judy would have just been made roast.

“You better” hissed Bogo. And then he added, pointing a hoof against Nick: “Wilde… try to not vomit on my carpet or I’ll positively kill you.” 


	16. Bunny ~ Drunk (II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“… All this hostility, first thing in the morning” he sighed, walking away from Judy. “Just because last night I got a little drunk…”_  
>  _“A_ little _?” Judy stopped writing and gave him a gaze filled with repressed hatred. “Nick, you mistook Bogo for a_ phone booth. _‘_ And this isn’t even the worst thing you've done. _’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are no words to apologize for this delay, so I simply won't. I just hope it will never happen again. Please enjoy this chapter and stay tuned, because more things will be published in the next few days. Thank you ;_;

The next day, a lump of fur and whines lazily collapsed above her head, right in the space between the ears. “Carrots… just kill me.”

“Don’t tempt me” Judy replied, as her fingers angrily pressed the keyboard. “And don’t breathe on me; you still stink of wine.”

Nick muttered something hardly intelligible. “I feel like I’m going to vomit my very soul.”

“What _soul_?” She asked, rolling her eyes. “You don’t own a soul, Nick.”

“… All this hostility, first thing in the morning” he sighed, walking away from Judy. “Just because last night I got a little drunk…”

“A _little_?” Judy stopped writing and gave him a gaze filled with repressed hatred. “Nick, you mistook Bogo for a _phone booth_. ‘ _And this isn’t even the worst thing you've done._ ’

“He’s got the size right” he replied, sitting on his chair. “Besides… no, besides my ass… I can’t sit on this thing; it moves _waaay_ too much.”

“You _will_ sit on that thing, officer Wilde.” Judy politely smiled, as anger silently pulsed in her flesh. “You have to fill reports for the next two hundred seventy-four days; _and_ , just so you know, I’m not going to help you.”

The fox shrugged. “I can’t figure out the source of your resentment, officer Hopps. Even the most estimable animal happens to drink too much, from times to times.”

“Some people get drunk well, some don’t; guess which category you belong to.”

Nick’s ears drooped slightly, and an uncertain expression slowly crept on his muzzle. “Did something happened, Carrots? Something I can’t remember?”

‘ _Oh, just… everything._ ’ Judy really wanted to say those words. They were just, just on the tip of her tongue, dying for a chance to come out and punch him in the stomach… but it was another sound that left her mouth: “Nothing. Nothing happened, Nick. What could a drunk fox even do, after all?”

“I don’t know. Make his precious bunny despise him?”

“You already do that when you’re sober” she reminded him, “and _better_.”

Nick fell back on his chair and proceeded to slide, slowly and inexorably, toward the floor – but he didn’t seem to care too much about it. “I must have done something terrible, for you to keep staring at me with those eyes, Judy.”

“It’s just your impression.”

“You do want to physically hurt me.”

“… Yes, I do.”

“You’re hiding a knife in your pants.”

“Possible.”

“How much time do I have left?”

“Five minutes, and you’re wasting them saying…”

 

_“Time is running out, right?”_

 

Judy blinked, confused. “… Nonsense.”

“Carrots?” The fox frowned – a quite comical reaction, given the way he was lying on the floor like a sack of potatoes. “I may be a poor idiot, still trying to handle the hangover of last night, but you don’t seem less idiotic than me, to be honest.”

‘ _And whose fault do you think it is, you_ poor idiot _?_ ’ “You’re the last mammal who’s allowed to say such things” Judy claimed. “You look like a mop dried up. Care to regain a bit of composure, Wilde?”

“Go and find me an animal who doesn’t look like a rag after spending the whole night throwing up.”

“You could stay at home and get some proper sleep” she suggested, crossing her arms over the chest.

“And miss an opportunity to be with my favorite bunny? _Never_.”

“Your words move me, _officer mop_.”

“Stop calling me like that” Nick protested, almost completely seated on the floor, with his head resting on the edge of his chair. “It doesn’t suit me.”

“I think it _does_ suit you quite well, indeed.” Judy shook her head and went back to write the report she was working on before a certain fox came to annoy her.

“Hey.”

_Tap, tap, tap…_

“Hey, Carrots.”

_Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap…_

“Officer Judith Hopps!”

 _Tap, tap, ta…_ ‘ _What have I done in order to deserve this?_ ’

The bunny reluctantly turned to him.  “What’s _now_ , Nick?” 

And then panicked. 

“Come here” Nick said, as he spread his arms toward Judy. “Tell this wise fox the reason why you’re so grumpy.”

 

_“Come here.”_

 

Judy froze. “Not this again” she murmured, paralyzed by a horror she was not ready to relive.

It was the same. It was like the last night. It was…

“Stop being so stubborn, you’re literally sullying all the good stereotypes about your species.”

‘ _No… it’s_ not _the same._ ’

Judy forced herself not to tremble. “Why… why should I listen to you?”

“Because you have a very big ‘SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME’ written all over your face and, well, I casually happen to want to help you, so… just come here, ‘kay?”

“Will you nicely help me while sitting on the floor like a tramp?”

“So what?” Now it was Nick’s turn to cross his arms. “At least the floor doesn’t move.”

“Well, scientifically speaking… due to Earth’s rotation, the floor is rotating too…” In saying that, a genuine laughter went up her throat and came out, so pure and clear that Judy found herself blinking for the second time. How could she make such a crystal clear sound in those circumstances?

And yet, the answer to that question was already before her eyes, sitting on the floor just a few meters away from her.  A sullen and slightly uncertain one, maybe, but… undeniably, unmistakably sincere.

Possibly. Probably.

“Do we want to talk about astronomy?” He argued. “Let’s talk about astronomy, then, if it can help you feel better; but, if I may say so, I don’t think the planets’ rotat— _whoa_!”

A moment later, in the blink of an eye, Judy had jumped down from her chair and desperately flied into his arms. 

 

_“I’m always myself.”_

 

“Carrots…?”

“Shut up” she grunted, squeezing him with all her might. “You’re just dumb, Nick. No… it’s me who is dumb. We are dumb, both you and me!”

“Er, okay?” A couple of nice arms slowly returned her embrace. “If calling us idiots can relieve your pain, I’ll let you do it, I guess. Just for today, though.”

In the end... every piece went in its own place.

Every piece, which couldn’t make sense by itself… together with the others, it could. And the picture they finally formed…

‘ _It’s fine… isn’t it? For me… to hope just a little… it’s fine._ ’

“… I’ll wait.” She said so, out of the blue. “I’ll wait, Nick. Don’t make me wait too much, though.”

 

And Judy laughed at his empty and confused expression; laughed at his “what will you wait for?”; laughed at the way he tilted his head in asking so –  _just like wolves do_ – and laughed at her own stupidity, because she really was a dumb bunny.

Indeed, the dumbs were two.

 

‘ _But it’s not so bad, being dumb… if you’re not alone._ ’

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Zootopia - Relatos de un zorro astuto y una torpe coneja](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7512835) by [OokamiKuroiMx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OokamiKuroiMx/pseuds/OokamiKuroiMx)




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